Clippers are burned by the Heat’s Wade

The heavyweight matchup faded, but Dwyane Wade was there to hoist the featherweights.

Wade scored a season-high 35 points to help the struggling Miami Heat hand the struggling Clippers a 100-94 loss at Staples Center in front of 16,335 on Sunday, his performance overshadowing a contest between an up-and-coming Chris Kaman and an aging Shaquille O’Neal.

“The Clippers were a team we knew were going to give us everything they had at home, and our goal was to keep it close until the last couple of minutes and try and pull out a win,” Wade said.

The Heat did, indeed, giving Coach Pat Riley his 1,200th win.

The Clippers return to the road with games against the New Jersey Nets, Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies before ending with an “away” matchup against the Lakers.

The first three opponents held a combined 22-36 record through Saturday, but nothing is coming easy for the Clippers (7-12), who lost to the Heat (5-15), which had lost its previous five games.

“It hurts,” said Corey Maggette, who rounded his own stat line with 24 points, 12 rebounds and six assists “We felt we needed to win this game, and we wanted to win this game.”

In a theme becoming all too familiar for the Clippers, losers of five consecutive home games, they had little left in reserve to completely erase a large deficit.

They trailed by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, with Miami opening it with a 14-0 run. But Tim Thomas tied the score, 90-90, with consecutive three-point baskets in the fourth quarter.

From there, Wade scored six of his points in the final two minutes and the Clippers suddenly found a lid over the rim, missing layups.

“Believe us, we always concentrate when we go to the basket and try to score the ball,” Maggette said. “Sometimes, they roll in and roll out. We still kind of kept it close, but that really killed us.”

Kaman started well against the burly duo of O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning, making six of nine shots for 12 points in the first half. He made only one of seven second-half shots, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

“Both Shaq and Alonzo were physical with him,” Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “And, at times, I think they got away with it. Do it until they stop you from doing it. For Chris, another aspect of the game, he’s got to use his mobility against those guys as his strength.”

O’Neal ended with eight points and seven rebounds, seldom-used teammate Chris Quinn outscoring him by five points, and left without addressing reporters.

“He wasn’t a huge factor,” Kaman said. “The thing about him was the double team. I think we may have double-teamed him a little too much on some plays when he was far out.”

Wade continually used the picks Miami set for him and connected on his midrange jumper.

“We tried to give him the longer shots, but he is smart,” Kaman said. “He knew what we were doing.”

Wade, who sat out the first seven games of the season while recovering from knee and shoulder surgeries, also had 10 assists and five rebounds.

“You’ve been seeing it coming,” Dunleavy said. “His game has been rising. The guy’s been injured and he’s been getting better.”

The Clippers shot a season-best 63.2% in the first half, making 24 of 38 shots, but were tied, 51-51, at halftime.

The reason?

Eleven of their 15 turnovers came in the first half, including six in the first six minutes, leading to 17 Heat points.

“It’s a disappointing loss,” Dunleavy said. “We played really well in stretches, with a lot of energy in stretches. But the two things that were costly to us were our turnovers and our slow start in the second half.”

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jonathan.abrams@latimes.com