Miami Heat: Limiting secondary scoring paramount to beating Clippers

As the Miami Heat get set to take on the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night, there is something they have to be mindful of. The secondary scoring Los Angeles produced was a major issue the last time these two teams played. It cost Miami the game.

Kawhi Leonard is going to get his points.  If Miami wants to win on Wednesday they need to focus on limiting what the others do offensively.

Landry Shamet scored 22 points on eight-of-15 shooting. He went six-of-12 from beyond the arc and contributed six assists as well. He certainly made his 43 minutes count. It was a bit unexpected for a player averaging 8.1 points per contest. Nevertheless, that’s what makes the NBA so great. Anybody can play well on any given night.

Normally, one of the biggest goals for Miami Heat would be to stop Leonard. That is still definitely a goal. However, the Heat have to be wary of secondary scoring in this matchup. Shamet for example has been playing well lately. He averaged 11.5 points in the month of January. That includes the last game against Miami. He has done well primarily coming off the bench.

Paul George is another player that can go off at any moment. In his last game against San Antonio on Monday, he scored 19 points. He is off to a great start in the month of February, averaging 21 points in the first two games of the month.

The Miami Heat will have to be on their toes

The Clippers will attack the Miami Heat. They will not be afraid to use any of the weapons at their disposal. Against teams like Boston, the Miami Heat have been exposed defensively. Miami will need to do everything they can to make sure they eliminate as many weaknesses as possible. If they don’t, it could be a long evening. A stellar defensive game will be needed. Strong rotations on defense will be critical for success.

A win for the Miami Heat would go a long way. This would certainly be a critical victory for them as the All-Star break nears. Especially against one of the elite teams in a stacked Western Conference, winning this game would give them momentum.