The Miami Heat outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, winning 110-104. It was a grind-it-out defensive battle between two defensive-minded teams. It was close throughout the entire game but late in the fourth quarter, the Heat were able to pull away to seal the victory.
Top Performers
Leading the way for the Miami Heat with 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists was Jimmy Butler, who had a dominant game to finish off the Lakers. The Heat had five other players score in double figures in their well-balanced assault. Those five included Bam Adebayo (13), Tyler Herro (15), Goran Dragic (10), Duncan Robinson (11), and Victor Oladipo (18). Oladipo left Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers in the fourth quarter with a right knee injury. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Oladipo would be evaluated on Friday.
On the other side of the floor, the Lakers only had nine players available. The defending champs have been decimated with injuries to players such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis as of late, causing their slide down the rankings.
Los Angeles had two players score double-doubles. New addition and NBA veteran Andre Drummond, who missed the last four games with a toe injury, had 15 points and 12 rebounds. Meanwhile, Dennis Schröder had 10 points and 14 assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also performed well, scoring a team-high 28 points.
Notes/ Takeaways
- Frank Vogel used his 15th different starting lineup of the season without LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma due to injuries. Talen Horton-Tucker was also out due to a one-game suspension.
- Markieff Morris was ejected during crunch time (fourth quarter). Morris, 31-years-old, finished with 12 points in 34 minutes.
Upcoming Games
The Miami Heat will have two tough games coming up:
4/11/21 at 10:00 PM vs. Portland Trail Blazers
4/13/21 at 10:00 PM vs. Phoenix Suns