LOS ANGELES _ Hassan Whiteside was back but the result was the same for the Miami Heat for the second time in two days at Staples Center.
By now it is safe to say the Heat don't love L.A.
Even with the favorable scheduling twist and the return of their shot-blocking center from a week away with any eye injury, the Heat fell for the eighth time in nine games, this time a 98-86 decision Sunday at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers.
As was the case with Friday's 127-100 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, a feisty third period was about the extent of the Heat's fight, even with Whiteside returning to close with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
With Blake Griffin still out with his knee issue, the Clippers got all they needed from point guard Chris Paul, who closed with 19 points and 18 assists, guard J.J. Redick, who closed with 25 points, and center DeAndre Jordan, who had 18 rebounds.
Goran Dragic led the Heat with 24 points.
As was the case in Friday loss to the Lakers, there was another heated moment for the Heat in a third quarter at Staples, this time an elbow to the back of Redick's head on a rebounding scrum leaving Dion Waiters ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul.
It was Waiters' first career ejection.
Two days earlier, Dragic was ejected for what appeared to be a benign role in a tussle with Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson.
After going down by 23 in the third quarter, the Heat recovered within 80-66 going into the fourth, with the Clippers seizing control from there.
Working with yet another lineup revision, this time with Josh Richardson out with a sprained left foot and Luke Babbitt out with the flu, the Heat struggled to develop any semblance of offensive cohesion.
That left them down 52-39 at halftime, at just 31 percent from the field.
Wayne Ellington and Derrick Williams, the respective replacement starters for Richardson and Babbitt, went scoreless in the first half, on combined 0-for-4 shooting.
No Heat player had more than eight points at the intermission, with Whiteside with seven points and eight rebounds in the first half.
The Clippers, by contrast, got 15 first-half points from Redick, with Paul already with a double-double by that stage, with 11 points and 10 assists.
The only available Heat player who did not see action in the first half was Udonis Haslem.
In addition to Richardson and Babbitt, the Heat also were without Justise Winslow and Josh McRoberts.
The Clippers were Griffin amid his ongoing knee issue, with Austin Rivers missing the game due to the flu.
The Heat were able to respond from an early 9-0 Clippers run to stand within 20-19 at the end of the opening period.
The Heat's six-game trip continues with the fifth stop on Tuesday night at Oracle Arena against the Golden State Warriors, before the sojourn concludes Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Clippers won the first game of the two-game season series 102-98 Dec. 16 at AmericanAirlines Arena, securing the victory on a late putback basket by center DeAndre Jordan.
The Heat entered having lost the previous three meetings, positioned to be swept for the second consecutive season, after not previously being swept in the two-game season series since 2006-07.
The game opened a five-game homestand for the Clippers, who entered on a three-game winning streak after losing their previous six.
