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Randolph helps Clippers snap skid

Nov 30, 2008 - 6:54 AM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Zach Randolph scored 27 points and had 13 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 97-96 victory over the Miami Heat on Saturday.

Al Thornton scored 27 points and Baron Davis added 15 and nine assists for the Clippers, who won for the first time in six home contests.

Making his first start with his new team, Randolph scored eight points, including a 3-pointer from the right corner, during a 13-0 run that gave the Clippers a 93-86 lead with three minutes remaining.

"We did a good job of get Zach involved in our offense and giving him the ball in places where he could score," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "He had a great energy out there on the boards and battling to keep balls alive at times, as well as scoring."

Dwyane Wade brought Miami back in the final 1:15, scoring five points and assisting on Udonis Haslem's baseline jumper that cut the Heat deficit to 97-96 with eight seconds to play.

Following a timeout, Wade deflected the inbounds pass and the officials controversially gave Miami a timeout as the former All-Star was trying to save the ball from going out of bounds.

"From what I understand with the referees, one minute they said they blew the whistle, the guy was out of bounds with the ball," Dunleavy said. "The next minute, they said it was an inadvertent whistle and they changed the call."

Heat coach Erik Spolestra felt the whistle should not have been blown.

"He was inbounds and we had a 3-on-0 fast break," the first-year coach said. "They just didn't see the call. It's plain as day to see it on the replay. He was inbounds, threw it. They gave us the ball, but we had to junk a 3-on-0 fast break."

On the final possession, Wade could not take advantage as he was forced to hoist up a fadeaway 3-pointer from the right wing, which fell well short to give the Clippers the win.

"We did a nice job of defending and doing the things we need to do to win this ballgame," Dunleavy said.

In his second game with Los Angeles, Randolph shot 11-of-20 from the floor. He scored seven points in his first contest with the Clippers on Wednesday.

"I'm getting more comfortable," Randolph said. "I've had good practices. I'll continue to be aggressive and work on my game.

"It's a different system. Coming from somewhere else is different. It's a different atmosphere, different chemistry."

Wade finished with 26 points and 11 assists and rookie Michael Beasley bounced back from the first scoreless game of his career with 24 points off the bench.

After trailing by one point after the first quarter, Miami led by as many as seven in the second before settling for a 56-54 halftime lead. Beasley scored 17 of his points in the quarter to help Miami jump in front.

Daequan Cook's 3-pointer right before the third quarter buzzer gave the Heat a 73-68 edge entering the fourth.

"We went on a little bit of a drought and they started attacking the basket," Spolestra said. "And we couldn't seem to get to the free throw line pretty much the entire night. They were aggressive and we were just a step away on everything."