The return of Norman Powell in LA? Keys to Heat-Clippers

Coming off a loss to Luka Doncic and the L.A. Lakers on Sunday night, the Miami Heat face a quick turnaround against the Clippers less than 24 hours later.

The defense has seen some slippage as of late, the three point shooting needs a positive bump, and the pregame injury report appears dire to tonight's outcome.

So let's get into some main keys to this match-up:

1. Could Norman Powell make his return against his former team?

Apr 8, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers guard Norman Powell (24) shoots the ball against San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) and forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) in the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Norman Powell has now missed the last 3 games for the Miami Heat, which has landed them with a 1-2 record across those games. The groin soreness has lingered longer than expected, but with no official word on his status tonight, it would seem he's pushing hard to return against his former team. It's pretty clear he's needed back in the mix right about now, simply for the shooting purposes, as they've been unable to replicate that with him out. In a match-up against two drop bigs who will rarely play up to the level of the screen, perimeter play and hand-offs will be heavily needed. If Powell can suit up for this one, not only will the shooting rise, but the driving lanes become easier for Jaime Jaquez Jr, Davion Mitchell, and others.

2. Kel'el Ware eyeing down an extremely tough match-up.

Jan 13, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) dunks against Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) during the second quarter at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images | Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Kel'el Ware is coming off a tough night where Erik Spoelstra was forced to have a short leash with his play against the Lakers, as he was being attacked in every pick and roll to start the game, leading to some Jaxson Hayes dominance around the rim. He got pulled after about five minutes and didn't start the second half. Just 24 hours later, things get incredibly more difficult for the second year big. I don't worry about him being able to stay with a big like Victor Wembanyama, as he's found success, but there's something about the bulky, strong bigs like Ivica Zubac that hurt him. In the two match-ups last season, Zubac put up 21 points and 20 rebounds at home and 26 points and 14 rebounds on the road. He usually has his way in this match-up. So they either need a high energy and alert Ware, or it's going to be more on Bam Adebayo's defensive plate.

3. More than ever, the game-plan needs to be to run.

Mar 12, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) fumbles the pass as LA Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) closes in during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

There are two things that seem to hinder the Heat from their consistently fast style: inability to string together stops on defense and the opposing team getting to the foul line. If you keep having to inbound the ball after made baskets, it's simply hard to run. But even bigger than that, when teams slow the game down with constant trips to the line, it can really take the Heat out of their game. But that shouldn't be a problem in this match-up. The Clippers are 28th in the NBA in points per game, and 29th in free throw attempts. Those two stats equate to a game-plan that needs to run. Another thing is that this Clippers team is not young. They rank 29th in transition play for a reason. 36 year old James Harden, 40 yard old Chris Paul, 34 year old Kawhi Leonard, 37 year old Brook Lopez, and the list goes on and on. The young guys better be ready to sprint.