T he Heat won a thriller against the Clippers in overtime 117-116 on a Klay Thompson corner three. It was an outstanding play call by head coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff. Klay Thompson set a pin screen and proceeded across the baseline to get a screen for the wide-open look and knocked it down. It was a total team effort for Miami who found a defensive backbone in the second half.
I will talk about all that and more in my five takeaways from tonight's game.
Klay Thompson is playing like he's 25 again.He has been smoking hot over the last three games and tonight was no exception. He finished the game with 30 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. He was extremely efficient on high volume with 50/47.1 shooting splits. He seems to be settling in and his teammates are learning where he likes to get the ball.
Miami went on a 13-6 run in the second half sparked by Klay Thompson and Andrew Wigginsdefense. A monster block from Giannis during that stretch seemed to wake him up.
Miami kept the same starting five, expecting different results and they got them to start the game.The Heat defense was more aggressive to start with tighter rotations and pressure on every ball handler. It was a good start but didn't last.
Nov 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) warms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Andrew Wiggins and Tim Hardaway Jr defensively have been unplayable.Today wasn't any different except Wiggins game alive in the second half. He played with so much force and activity it was contagious. It set the stage for Davion Mitchell, putting the entire Clippers team in jail during a stretch to bring the heat back to which's largest deficit was 20 points on the night.
Tim may have played his way out of the rotation.He didn't defend well and his shooting has been inconsistent at best. He shot 0-2 from the field in only 6:50 minutes of play. Simone Fontecchio got some minutes, but they were equally bad and finished with only 4:46 minutes of playing time
Nov 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Rui Hachimura (28) shoots the ball in between Miami Heat guard Klay Thompson (11) and guard Ryan Conwell (4) during the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Ryan Conwell got minutes and the stats would have you believe he played poorlybut that can be deceiving. He did finish 0-3 from the field but his defensive tenacity was on full display. He was everywhere it seemed helping the Heat claw back into the game. He wasn't giving up any easy baskets. He would dig back for blocks from behind but got the rookie whistle each time.
Nov 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Rui Hachimura (28) dribbles the ball against Miami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (7) during the first quarter at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Giannis played one of the worst first halves of his career.He looked disengaged and made poor decisions. That just speaks to his greatness because as poorly as he played, he ended the game with 27 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots.
He showed up defensively when it counted.The Heat defense was smothering in the fourth quarter and overtime. He was a big part of that with timely steals and game saving blocked shots.
Nov 2, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) dunks for the basket against Los Angeles Lakers center Walker Kessler (14) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Davion's defense down the stretch wrecked the Clippers.He was blur getting to the rim, but the story was his defense. He was everywhere and willed his team to play furious defense.
Bam Adebayo played the best offensive game of the season.He destroyed Brooke Lopez in the paint all night. He didn't settle for the outside shot and attacked the paint. The thing I liked most was his off-ball cutting when Giannis was getting doubled teamed. They can be a deadly duo when Bam cuts off the double teams.
He finished with 35 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists.The sky is the limit for this duo if they can get the spacing and timing right. The best is yet to come.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as Klay Comes Through: Miami Heat Escape on Thompson's Game-Winner .
