Chris Paul leads Clippers to fourth straight win, a 98-86 defeat of Heat

The pinpoint passes and silky smooth jump shots come so naturally to Chris Paul that games like Sunday, when the Clippers point guard scored 19 points and dished out 18 assists in a 98-86 victory over the Miami Heat in Staples Center, can seem routine.

“I think he’s Groundhog Day,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said after Paul, in his second game back after sitting out seven of eight games because of a left-hamstring injury, led the Clippers to their fourth straight win.

“Like, we just take it for granted — not us, but you see his numbers, and you don’t flinch. Anyone on any other team [puts up those numbers] … there’s a big article about it. C.P. is just a great player, and he is most nights.”

J.J. Redick scored a team-high 25 points, and Marreese Speights scored 19 off the bench as the Clippers further distanced themselves from an ugly six-game losing streak to end 2016.

The Clippers opened the fourth quarter with a 16-6 run, Paul scoring on a 12-foot jumper and assisting on three other baskets, to open a 96-72 lead with 7 minutes 9 seconds left.

A fourth straight inspired defensive effort helped the Clippers limit the Heat, who were without starting guard Josh Richardson (left-foot sprain) and forward Luke Babbitt (flu symptoms), to 36.9% shooting (31 for 84) and 12 fastbreak points.

“Yeah, we had a rough stretch,” said center DeAndre Jordan, who pulled down 18 rebounds. “I feel like we’re getting back to defending. We’re rebounding the ball as a team better. We’re playing team basketball, moving the ball around, finding the open guy, playing the right way.”

How did the Clippers get back to the style of play that fueled a 14-2 start?

“Getting our ass kicked a couple of times helped,” Jordan said.

So did the return of their floor general. Austin Rivers, Jamal Crawford and Raymond Felton have had some big scoring games in Paul’s absence, but the Clippers are clearly better with their nine-time All-Star.

Paul entered Sunday with 7,994 career assists. His 69th game with at least 15 points and 15 assists — fifth-most in the league since 1983-84 — pushed Paul past the 8,000 assists in 806 games.

With 15,089 career points, Paul is the third-fastest player in NBA history to 15,000 points and 8,000 assists. The top two are legends Magic Johnson (765 games) and Oscar Robertson (784 games).

“In today’s world, so much is talked about that what he’s doing gets lost,” Rivers said. “He’s one of the greatest to ever play the game. I don’t even think people appreciate it a lot, but he is. You recognize that. I did from afar, when I was in Boston, and then coaching him, you realize just how clever and smart he is.”

Paul, who played 29 minutes, was irked more by his one turnover than he was impressed by his points and assists.

“I pride myself on taking care of the ball,” he said. “I remember the turnover, too. I threw a bad pass to Luc [Mbah a Moute] between his legs early in the first quarter. I say it all the time, it’s like a quarterback. You try not to throw an interception. With the firepower we have, any time I turn the ball over, it takes away an opportunity to score.”

The Heat trimmed a 23-point early-third-quarter deficit to 10 on a Goran Dragic layup with 25.8 seconds left in the period, two of the Miami guard’s 24 points.

But Brandon Bass dunked after a pick-and-roll pass from Paul with seven seconds left, and Paul rifled a 50-foot pass to Redick for a layup at the buzzer and an 80-66 lead entering the fourth.

Paul passed to Bass for a dunk early in the fourth, and a wrap-around-pass for a Speights’ reverse layup pushed the lead to 89-68. Paul headed to the bench for good with 8:57 left.

“He had some plays where he was a magician with the ball,” Redick said of Paul. “Sometimes he gets overlooked in the top-point-guard discussions in today’s NBA, but he’s still at the top of his game to me, as good as anyone in the league.”

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna