Lakers play with fire against the Heat
The Purple and Gold (21-17) took the court tonight against their foe in the 2020 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat (20-19). The Lakers, fresh off a three-game losing streak, looked to turn the tide against a Miami team amid turmoil.
The Jimmy Butler trade saga has been dominating the headlines and has affected the team, even if it’s minor. Luckily for Miami, Tyler Herro has been on a heater as of late, even recording 32 points in back-to-back games. That trend continued as he eventually finished with 34 points tonight.
First Quarter Shoot-out
The game’s opening quarter was electric as both teams came out of the gate firing. Anthony Davis came out hot, as did Tyler Herro. Davis recorded 12 first-quarter points to Herro’s 16. The Lakers ran the floor well in transition, resulting in multiple fastbreak dunks.
Both teams shot well from beyond the arc; the Heat just took and hit double the amount of the Lakers. By outscoring Miami in the paint, as well as outrebounding them, the Lakers were able to keep things close despite the discrepancy in threes.
The two teams found themselves tied four times during the first quarter, seemingly signaling that we’d be in for a back-and-forth contest. Unfortunately for Lakers’ fans, this did not end up being the case come the second quarter.
Heat domination
The second quarter was an absolute nightmare for Los Angeles. After starting the game 16/28 (57%), Los Angeles shot three for their next fifteen (20%). While the Lakers cooled off from their early performance, Tyler Herro and the Heat certainly did not. Herro didn’t end up missing a shot until it was under a minute left in the half, and by then, he had 22 points.
Miami established an 11-point lead in the second and kept the Lakers consistently at bay with a switch to a zone defense. Much of the Heat’s second-quarter energy was provided by rookie Kel’el Ware, who many in Laker nation had on their draft boards.
By halftime, Ware had contributed 8 points, 9 rebounds, and a block. Clearly, adjustments needed to be made, as they went into halftime down 12 points.
Lakers figure it out
As soon as the second half started, the Lakers came out with intention. Los Angeles was able to start the half on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to five. That run broke Miami’s lead barrier enough for the team to turn this into a game again.
One reason Miami was able to stifle the Lakers’ offense early on was their aforementioned implementation of the zone defense, which the Lakers have had trouble with.
JJ Redick’s offensive adjustments and the players’ ability to work the ball into the middle of the defense to collapse it, provided much better looks, especially from three. The Lakers shot a very respectable 8/18 from three in the second half.
Threes from Lebron and Austin Reaves quickly got the crowd back and engaged in the game again. You pair that with seven Miami turnovers (19 total), and the momentum shift was palpable. Finishing the quarter on a 10-2 run, Los Angeles went into the 4th down two.
Showtime Close-out
With momentum on their side, the Lakers capitalized and eventually claimed their first lead of the game a minute into the 4th quarter. The last lead Los Angeles had in the game was with 1:31 left in the 1st quarter.
Another reason the Lakers were able to recapture the lead in the second half was due to their astounding lack of turnovers. The team tallied just one turnover in the entire half. While it may not seem like it sometimes, that is one of the team’s strengths, as they rank 7th in the league in fewest turnovers.
Through clutch buckets down the stretch from seemingly just about everyone, the Lakers were able to keep the lead for good. One of those buckets happened to be an alley-oop from Reaves to James that took the roof off of Crypto.com Arena.
Top Lakers Performers
Usually, I’ll take the opportunity here to post the statlines of two or three Lakers who played exceptionally well. Tonight, however, this will be a team-wide shout-out. I can’t remember the last time the Lakers had this much of a dispersion of points across the board.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Rui Hachimura all scored 20+ points. Reaves and Vincent pitched in 14 points a piece, and Max Christie contributed 16. Austin Reaved also contributed an outstanding 14 assists to match his points, while AD completed his double-double by pitching in 11 rebounds.
One key to future playoff success is just that. The other guys not named LeBron and Anthony Davis will have to step up like this on a more consistent basis to reach their full potential. The more the team can take off the shoulders of LeBron and AD throughout 82, the easier it will be for them to turn it up when it really counts.
