Doc Rivers: 'Miami Heat slowed the game down'

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers has claimed that his side should not have allowed the Miami Heat to dictate the tempo in the loss to the NBA champions on Thursday night.

The Clippers were leading by four at half time but Miami produced a fightback after the break to claim a 102-97 win at the AmericanAirlines Arena.

"You can see in the third quarter they slowed the game down and we slowed it down with them," Rivers told reporters. "And I thought that really hurt us.

"We had a six-minute stretch where we could have stretched the game. Instead we started walking it up, slowing everything down. They're too good with a set defense. We allowed them to set their defense. That's when all the turnovers came."

The Clippers have won three and lost three of their opening six games this season.