Tyronn Lue didn’t leave much mystery around Keaton Wagler’s lighter workload in the Clippers’ 117-116 loss to the Heat on Wednesday night at Intuit Dome.
When asked about the reduced minutes, Lue kept it simple: “That’s just what I felt like,” he said. “That’s just what I saw in the game.”
Wagler logged 16 minutes, well below the 25 minutes he has averaged per game so far this season. Even in the shorter run, he still produced: 11 points, two rebounds and an assist, while shooting 3-6 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc. But the call on his playing time was clearly Lue’s.
The Clippers had a chance to make the night a turning point. They carried a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter, only to watch Miami claw back and force overtime. In the extra period, the Heat edged them 10-9 and escaped with the one-point win.
Bam Adebayo powered Miami with 35 points, and the Heat got the kind of late-game finish the Clippers couldn’t match. The result left Los Angeles still searching for its second victory of the season, now sitting at 1-7.
The loss stung even more because the Clippers were so close to closing it out after building that fourth-quarter cushion. Instead, the game slipped away in the final minutes and then in overtime, where every possession mattered.
Around the league, the night also featured strong individual performances elsewhere in the source material. Darius Garland led his team with 26 points and seven assists, Rui Hachimura added 21 points and nine rebounds, and Brook Lopez finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. Giannis Antetokounmpo posted 27 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, while Klay Thompson caught fire with 30 points and eight made three-pointers as the Heat picked up their third win in four games.
Miami now heads to face the Golden State Warriors, while the Clippers return home to take on the New Orleans Pelicans.
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