Klay Thompson hits late three to lift Heat past Clippers

Klay Thompson sank a corner three-pointer with one second remaining in overtime to lead the Miami Heat to a 117-116 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. The shot capped a 20-point fourth-quarter and overtime comeback for Miami, which had trailed by as many as 20 points earlier in the contest.

Thompson, who is 36, scored 30 points and made eight three-pointers. This marked the first time since December 2023 that he reached that mark in a single game. At that time, he was still playing for the Golden State Warriors. He currently ranks fourth in NBA history for career three-pointers made.

The Heat improved to a 3-5 record with the win. They had lost their first four games of the season. The victory ended a difficult start for a team that acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade in July.

Bam Adebayo provided a baseline screen that freed Thompson for the winning shot. Antetokounmpo inbounded the ball quickly, and Thompson released the jump shot before Clippers guard Kobe Sanders could close out. Adebayo also finished with a game-high 35 points.

"I felt like I had so much space," Thompson said. "I'm not going to say that's an easy shot for me, but I've taken so many thousands of corner 3s, especially in that left corner. It's probably the easiest shot on the perimeter for a righty like myself. I got my feet down and planted, and it felt really good coming off my fingertips."

A controversial sequence at the end of regulation sent the game to extra time. Miami challenged a foul call on Pelle Larsson, but officials ruled that Adebayo committed a defensive foul. Rui Hachimura made the second of two free throws to force overtime. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra cited the team's defensive intensity as the reason for the turnaround.

"You can fight Father Time, and [Thompson] is doing it," Spoelstra said. "He's putting in a ton of time on his body, getting in shape, and that's allowing him to show the skill set he's had in his Hall of Fame career."