LOS ANGELES — Behind a monster night from their stars, the Miami Heat earned a hard-fought victory on Wednesday night, taking down the LA Clippers in overtime. It's the first half of a back-to-back set, so this was as close to a must-win after losing five of their first seven contests.

Miami outlasted the Clippers, 117-116, defeating Tyronn Lue's club despite trailing by as many as 20 points and finishing the game just 10-of-40 from beyond the arc. The final one, however, was the most important one, with Klay Thompson giving the Heat the lead with one second remaining and no timeouts left for Los Angeles.

“I felt like I had so much space,” Thompson said about the go-ahead shot. “I'm not going to say that's an easy shot for me, but I've taken so many tens of thousands of corner threes, especially from the left corner for a right handed shooter, it's probably the easiest shot from the perimeter on the court for a righty like myself. I just got my feet down, planted, and I took it and it just felt really good off my fingertips.”

Thompson finished the night with 30 points, five rebounds, three assists, and eight made three-pointers in 35 minutes of play. It was his first 30-point game since April 7, 2024, back when he was a member of the Golden State Warriors.

“I enjoy having big nights, but I don't go into games thinking I have to prove himself,” Thompson responded when asked if he enjoys showing off explosive nights like this one. “I know what I'm capable of and as long as I stay in great conditioning, I'm going to have plenty of nights like this throughout the season. That's why I'm so attracted to Miami. The culture is real. They really get the most of out you, especially at this stage of my career.”

The Heat were then able to force Kobe Sanders into a contested heave from past half-court, which came nowhere near the backboard.

“I looked up and there was still one second on the board and I didn't know if they had a timeout or not,” Thompson added, explaining why he didn't celebrate right away. “I had to stay in front of the guy who heaved it from three-quarters court. After that moment, it felt great to celebrate with my teammates. I can't lie to you. It felt really good.”

Bam Adebayo paced the Heat with 35 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists while his front-court mate, Giannis Antetokounmpo, added 27 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and three blocked shots.

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The Heat had lost five of their first seven games entering Wednesday, but also left having won three of their last four and feeling like they've found building blocks to focus on.

“I've seen the most progress for myself with, believe it or not, being patient,” Thompson said. “I thought I took all great looks tonight. I might've had two or three bad ones that I took, but I'm not forcing anything. I'm getting great looks at the start of the game and I was in a great flow. I could've sealed the game a couple times. I had a couple looks in that same corner and I stuck with it. Luckily, it turned out for me.”

The Heat have a quick turnaround, as they traveled to San Francisco for a clash with the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. It's the second night of a back-to-back for Miami with an overtime game on the first night, so there could be some heavier legs to start that game.