The Heat Survive the Clippers while the Hawks Fall to the Pelicans

The Miami Heat (35-13) got off to a hot start and were able to overcome a pesky Los Angeles Clippers (34-18) team in the fourth quarter for a 116-112 win on Wednesday. With the victory, the Heat ended a five-game losing streak to the Clippers while on the road and now have a three-game win streak overall.

LeBron James

LeBron James played like LeBron and scored 31 points with 12 assists and eight rebounds, leading among his six teammates who scored in double digits for the night. A nod needs to go out to veteran Ray Allen who came off the bench for 15 points, including a key 3-pointer within the game’s last minute. Allen is the league’s leader for 3’s and Wednesday’s night represented his regular-season game No. 1,271–No. 19 of all time for this 18-year veteran.

Dwyane Wade added 14 points with eight assists. For the night, the Heat had 52 percent shooting.

As for the Clippers, it was an almost one-man show with Blake Griffin, who scored 43 points for the night (along with 17 rebounds and six assists). Jamal Crawford added 31 points and between the two players, they either assisted or scored all of the Clippers’ first-half 55 points, according to NBC Sports. Crawford was also an integral part of a fourth-quarter 10-0 run but the team couldn’t close the deal even as it came within two points.

James said of the win via the Associated Press, “Obviously we’ve had our battles with Doc, being in the Eastern Conference for so long, so we know how well his team is going to be prepared. I think it was just our mental toughness, especially in the third quarter when they made their run. We just stayed composed and found a way to get a win. We made stops and executed offensively.”

For the Heat, they’ll stay out West for Game 2 of its six-game road trip and play the Utah Jazz on Saturday.  The Heat sit at the top of the odds to win the 2014 NBA Championship at 12/5.

Next up for the Clippers, who could get Chris Paul back on Sunday, will play the Toronto Raptors (26-23) on Friday. The Clippers are 14/1 to win this year’s league championship.

In other Wednesday Southeast Division action, the second-place Atlanta Hawks (25-23) lost to the New Orleans Pelicans (21-27), 105-100. The Hawks have now lost two consecutive games.

Paul Millsap

Paul Millsap led in scoring for Atlanta with his 26 points (on 20 shots) and 10 rebounds while DeMarre Carroll contributed 22 points; Jeff Teague added 11 points with 13 assists.

In the fourth quarter, the Hawks had an opportunity for the win after an 8-0 run, taking an 83-76 advantage with 7:45 remaining but the Pelicans said not so fast and scored nine consecutive points to take the lead back.

Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said of the four quarter via the Associated Press, “That’s a tough loss for our group. Our execution needs to improve when we’re in that situation.”

For the night, the Pelicans sophomore duo of Anthony Davis and Brian Roberts carried the team as Davis had 27 points (9 of 14 shooting) with 10 rebounds while Roberts added 19 points (17 in the second half). In the game’s final 3:40 of playing time, the players scored six points each.

The Pelicans have now won their last six of nine games and will play the Minnesota Timberwolves (24-25) on Friday. While a team on the rise, New Orleans sits at 300/1 to win the 2014 NBA Championship.

As for the Hawks, they’ll attempt to end their losing streak on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies (26-22). The Hawks have a slightly better chance to win this year’s Championship at 100/1.

Other Wednesday scores include an Orlando Magic (14-37) win over the Detroit Pistons (19-29), 112-98 and a San Antonio (36-13) 125-118 victory over the Washington Wizards (24-24).