Brand collected 23 points and 17 rebounds and Odom had three big baskets down the stretch as the Los Angeles Clippers dealt the Heat their 12th straight loss, 87-83.
Brand battled foul trouble as he began a fourth-quarter rally that saw Los Angeles erase a six-point deficit. Odom pulled the Clippers even, then put them ahead for good.
 Leading scorers Elton Brand and Quentin Richardson celebrate their win over Miami. Robert Mora/NBAE/Getty Images |
"Coach was drawing up some good plays, but coach Riley (Miami's Pat Riley) was calling all the plays (to his defense) before we could run them, so it was hard to do what we wanted to do," Brand said.
Odom took over from there. His banker just over a minute later tied the game and, after Brian Grant made a jumper to give the Heat an 80-78 lead, Odom took charge.
Odom had a thunderous follow dunk on a fast break that tied it, 80-80, with 2:42 left. On the next possession, Odom drove hard to the basket, drew a foul from LaPhonso Ellis and flipped in a layup. The three-point play gave the Clippers the lead for good with 2:07 to go.
"I just went out and tried to do whatever I could to keep us in the game and came up with a couple of big plays," Odom said.
Miami's Rod Strickland made two free throws, but Odom shoveled a pass to a cutting Quentin Richardson for a dunk and an 85-82 lead with 52 seconds to play.
Alonzo Mourning made 1-of-2 from the line and Miami had a chance to tie on its next possession. But recent signee Jimmy Jackson missed a runner in the lane and Brand snared the rebound. His two free throws with five seconds left sealed it.
"The hustle and effort plays down the stretch (were the difference)," Mourning said. "We just have to get at it defensively. We have to get at it from an effort standpoint."
Richardson had 19 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Clippers, who snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Heat dating to December 14, 1995.
"The game was just like I thought it would be," Clippers coach Alvin Gentry said. "I knew we would have to grind it out with that team."
Brand made 8-of-14 shots and 7-of-7 free throws. Odom also had foul trouble and finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
"I was just trying to stay involved," said Odom, who had four assists. "I'm not shooting well right now, but as long as we win, then I'm happy."
Mourning scored 21 points and Jackson added 14 for Miami, which is mired in the third-longest slide in franchise history. The Heat lost their first 17 games upon entering the NBA in 1988 and had a 13-game skid in the 1989-90 season.
"(Jackson) should have been here five weeks ago," Riley said. "I didn't know what I was thinking about. He is in great shape, which is a testimony to him."
Miami played without leading scorer Eddie Jones, who sat out with a bruised right knee. It shot 38.5 percent (29-of-81) from the field, scoring just two baskets in the last 6 1/2 minutes, and was outrebounded, 50-40.
"We had another one of those fourth quarters," Riley said. "You know, 3-of-19, you just have to make shots."
The game was close throughout, with 21 lead changes and 17 ties. The Heat harassed Clippers point guard Jeff McInnis and led, 70-67, entering the final period.
"They slowed the game down by forcing the ball out of Jeff's hands," Gentry said. "In turn, we couldn't get out and run. The game was just a grind-it-out game."
Michael Olowokandi collected 11 points and nine rebounds before fouling out and Jeff McInnis handed out nine assists for the Clippers, who shot 45 percent (33-of-74).
"We're building as a team," McInnis said. "Our character is growing. It felt good to come back and get this one."
Chris Gatling scored 13 points off the bench for Miami, which began a three-game road trip. Grant, playing for the first time since November 15 due to a bruised instep, had eight points and nine boards.