Blake Griffin scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in the first half for the Los Angeles Clippers, who trail the Miami Heat 48-43 at halftime Wednesday night at Staples Center. The Clippers were down 39-28 with 4:53 remaining in the second quarter but closed the deficit to two points with an 11-2 run in the next two and a half minutes. But three missed free throws by Los Angeles in the final two minutes of the half helped Miami stretch the lead.
Chris Paul came out aggressive on the scoring end for the Clippers, with 14 points and four assists in the first half. Paul came into the night averaging 14.6 points per game through the first seven games of the season, his lowest mark of his seven-year career. His season high so far in the season is 20 points, which he has achieved twice.
Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers both led Miami with 11 points, while Chris Both nearly had a double-double with seven points and nine rebounds in the opening 24 minutes. LeBron James scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists in the first half.
The Clippers shot just 37.2% (16 for 43) in the opening half, including three of eight (37.5%) from three-point range. Miami shot 45.9% (17 for 37) and outrebounded the Clippers 27-19 in the opening half.
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