MIA 102, LAC 97: Heat hang on in Dwyane Wade throwback game

The Miami Heat didn't have trouble scoring on Thursday night, but it was their defense in the third quarter that made the difference.

Trailing at half, the Heat held the Los Angeles Clippers to just 17 points in the third quarter, pushing them to a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way. Miami won 102-97 to improve to 4-2, while L.A. falls to 3-3.

Here's what you need to know about Thursday's showdown:

• Dwyane Wade had a throwback game, posting 29 points on 13-of-22 shooting. He also added four rebounds, three steals, seven assists and a few highlights. He hit 29 points just 11 times last season - if that seems good, it is, but remember that Wade averaged 30.2 in 2008-09.

• Some questionable clock management and delays in fouling late by the Clippers helped the Heat out. That's two nights in a row the Clippers have had late-game gaffes, with Chris Paul missing a late layup against Orlando on Wednesday.

• The Clippers shot 52.6 percent in the first half, had a +7 rebounding margin and a +3 turnover margin. In the second half, they managed just 45.7 percent, +1 and -4, respectively. Some of that is regression after a hot half, but a lot had to do with the Heat locking down on defense.

• The Miami offense cooled in the second half, too, dropping from 60 percent to 47.2 percent, but Miami made up for it by protecting the ball and through a steady march to the free throw line (22 attempts in the half).

• Odd that we're not getting to the best player in the world until this far down, but LeBron James wasn't the main story Thursday. He had an 18-5-6 line and played his usual excellent defense, though. At one point, James' pursuit in transition forced J.J. Redick to pull up with a 10-foot jumper rather than attempt an open layup (roughly 0:25):

• Chris Paul had 11 points and 12 assists, DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 14 rebounds and Blake Griffin had 27 points and 14 rebounds. It's probably not often a team loses with three players posting double-doubles. Griffin also did this:

• Stop underrating Redick - somehow, some people still seem to think Redick is the same player he was at Duke. He can defend capably, he can put the ball on the floor, and he's a mad man working off the ball. This is no catch-and-shoot specialist, as good as he is in that role. Redick had 15 points on the night.

Scroll down to relive the stories and highlights from Thursday's game.