LOS ANGELES — Klay Thompson hit a game-winning 3-pointer with one second left to complete a 20-point comeback and give the Miami Heat a much-needed 117-116 overtime victory over the LA Clippers on Wednesday.
With the Clippers clinging to a two-point lead in the closing seconds of the extra period, Thompson found himself wide open in the left corner thanks to a baseline screen from Heat center Bam Adebayo. Giannis Antetokounmpo quickly inbounded the ball to Thompson, who turned and launched before Clippers guard Kobe Sanders could recover defensively. His go-ahead shot swished through with one second left.
“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.”
The Heat erased the Clippers’ 20-point lead thanks to Thompson’s heroics, a strong defensive effort in the second half and a game-high 35 points from Adebayo. After Sanders missed a desperation heave at the buzzer, the Heat engulfed Thompson in a jubilant celebration.
“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.”
Thompson scored 30 points and made eight 3-pointers as Miami, which lost its first four games of the season, improved to 3-5. The 36-year-old forward made eight 3-pointers in a game for the first time since December 2023, when he was still a member of the Golden State Warriors. Thompson, a four-time NBA champion who ranks fourth in league history in 3-pointers, signed with the Heat in free agency this summer after reaching a buyout agreement with the Dallas Mavericks.
“You can fight Father Time, and [Thompson] is doing it,” Heat coach Erik 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.”
Thompson’s shot provided a rare moment of pure joy during a rocky start to the Heat’s season. While Spoelstra acknowledged that Miami is still putting the pieces together after swinging a blockbuster trade for Antetokounmpo in July, he also hailed the Heat’s “grit” during the comeback victory, which was nearly derailed by 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 was still awarded two free throws because the officials determined that Adebayo had committed a defensive foul during the frantic sequence. Hachimura missed the first free throw and made the second to send the game into 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.”
