Klay Thompson drilled a game-winning 3-pointer with one second left, completing a 20-point Miami Heat comeback and handing the Heat a 117-116 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
With the Clippers clinging to a two-point lead in the closing seconds of overtime, Thompson found himself wide open in the left corner after a baseline screen from Heat center Bam Adebayo. Giannis Antetokounmpo quickly inbounded the ball to Thompson, who turned and fired before Clippers guard Kobe Sanders could recover. The shot swished through with one second remaining. Sanders then missed a desperation heave at the buzzer, and Miami swarmed Thompson in celebration.
“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.”
Adebayo led all players with 35 points, and the Heat’s defense tightened considerably in the second half, helping erase a 20-point Clippers lead. Thompson finished with 30 points and eight 3-pointers, improving Miami to 3-5 after a 0-4 start.
A Milestone Night for Thompson
The 36-year-old forward made eight 3-pointers in a game for the first time since December 2023, when he was still with the Golden State Warriors. Thompson, a four-time NBA champion who ranks fourth in league history in 3-pointers, signed with Miami in free agency this summer after reaching a buyout agreement with the Dallas Mavericks.
“Great screen by Bam and great shot by Klay,” Antetokounmpo said. “Bam was able to get him wide open. I delivered the ball to him, and he knocked down the shot. Whenever he shoots the ball, you feel like it’s going in.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised his veteran’s work ethic. “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.”
A Controversial Finish
Thompson’s shot provided a rare moment of joy during a rocky start to Miami’s season. Spoelstra acknowledged that the Heat are still putting the pieces together after swinging a blockbuster trade for Antetokounmpo in July, but he also hailed his team’s “grit” during the comeback.
The game nearly slipped away on a controversial call at the end of regulation. Miami successfully challenged a foul call on Pelle Larsson in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, but Clippers forward Rui Hachimura still received two free throws because officials determined that Adebayo had committed a defensive foul during the chaotic sequence. Hachimura missed the first attempt and made the second, forcing overtime.
“The guys earned their ice,” Spoelstra said. “We haven’t really earned our ice many times [this season]. … It’s good to finally get some karma on our side. I think it was the karma of the defensive intensity and grit in that second half.”