Klay Thompson Hits Game-Winning 3 With A Second Left In OT To Complete Heat Comeback

Klay Thompson hits winning 3 with a second left in OT as Heat rally past skidding Clippers 117-116.

The dramatic finish at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood capped a furious comeback from a 20-point deficit.

With only one second remaining on the overtime clock, Thompson let fly from beyond the arc.

The 24-foot shot splashed through the net from the left wing to push Miami ahead for good.

It finalized a thrilling 117-116 victory for the visiting Heat on Wednesday night.

Thompson delivered 30 points in the contest while draining eight of his 17 attempts from 3-point range.

The clutch strike arrived right after the Clippers had built a late cushion in the extra session.

Los Angeles held a 116-112 advantage with just 1:19 left on the clock in overtime.

Miami center Bam Adebayo answered by sinking a clutch fadeaway jumper with 1:04 remaining.

That basket trimmed the deficit to 116-114 and gave the Heat immediate life.

Los Angeles swingman Max Strus missed two consecutive shots in the frantic final minute.

Strus also committed a foul during that closing stretch to open the door for Miami.

Thompson then found room along the perimeter and drilled the decisive dagger.

Adebayo paced Miami throughout the night by posting season-high marks with 35 points and 10 rebounds.

Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed 27 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and three blocked shots in the win.

Point guard Davion Mitchell added 11 points and dished out 10 assists for the Heat.

Bobby Portis Jr. also made his presence felt on the boards by collecting 10 rebounds.

Miami has now captured three victories in four outings following a dismal 0-4 start to the season.

CLIPPERS BUILD HUGE LEAD

The game looked entirely out of reach for Miami during a lopsided first half.

Miami had originally closed the opening quarter with a 33-24 lead.

Everything changed when Los Angeles erupted with a devastating 26-2 scoring blitz to start the second quarter.

The Clippers scorched the nets by shooting 72.7% from the field during that dominant frame.

Los Angeles surged ahead 63-43 with 3:12 remaining before the break.

The Clippers carried a comfortable 67-52 lead into the halftime locker room.

Los Angeles welcomed back several key pieces to its playing rotation for the Wednesday contest.

Rui Hachimura returned to action after missing the previous game for the Clippers.

Derrick Jones Jr. was also back on the floor after sitting out the team's last contest.

Strus appeared in just his second regular-season contest after missing the first seven games with a foot injury.

The team continues to wait for Brandon Ingram to make his anticipated Clippers debut in the near future.

Hachimura finished the evening with 21 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.

Veteran center Brook Lopez added 20 points and eight rebounds for the hosts.

Jones supplied 12 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks in his return to the court.

HEAT SPARK FOURTH QUARTER SURGE

Miami chipped away at the massive deficit throughout the second half of play.

The Heat pulled within 78-71 midway through the third frame before Los Angeles responded.

Strus sank a 3-pointer and Kobe Sanders added a tip-in to push the Clippers' lead back to 83-71.

Miami kept pressing and trimmed the deficit to 87-84 early in the fourth quarter with 10:47 remaining.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue called a timeout with 9:11 left to steady his group.

The stoppage worked momentarily as Los Angeles rebuilt a 10-point lead with 5:04 remaining.

The Clippers still led by 10 points with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

Miami answered with a blistering 9-0 run to make it 101-100 and set up a wild finish.

Miami then took a 105-104 lead with 2:53 left on the game clock.

Darius Garland answered for Los Angeles with a cutting layup to reclaim the advantage.

TURNOVERS PROVE COSTLY

Careless mistakes doomed the Clippers during the decisive stretches of regulation and overtime.

Los Angeles turned the ball over 18 times on the night, with other counts noting up to 20 giveaways.

Miami took full advantage of those miscues, converting them into 23 points.

The Clippers shot 47.8% from the floor but could not protect the ball when it mattered most.

Miami converted just 43.0% of its shots but overcame the gap through sheer persistence.

The Clippers gave away a late lead for the second straight outing after holding double-digit fourth-quarter advantages.

DRAMA AT THE END OF REGULATION

The final seconds of the fourth quarter produced intense back-and-forth action between the two sides.