The Heat competed against the NBA’s top team and more takeaways from loss to the Lakers
Five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s 113-110 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
1.) Outside of one run, the Miami Heat hung in there against the NBA’s hottest team.
At many points, this felt like the Miami Heat’s game to win. They led the Lakers by as many as 14 points midway through the second quarter and went tit-for-tat down the stretch in the final two minutes of regulation.
But one stretch in the third quarter — six minutes of a 48-minute contest — was too much to overcome.
The Lakers outscored the Heat 29-8 in that span, outrebounded Miami 11-5 and never trailed afterward.
“They really imposed their will,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
But so, too, did the Heat as they continuously fought back to shrink their double-digit deficit. Miami used a 16-8 to go into the fourth quarter down by just three points (88-85). After once again falling behind by nine (100-91), the Heat got itself within one possession on four occasions — the biggest when Kendrick Nunn hit a three-pointer with just under nine seconds left to make it 111-110.
“All things being equal,” Spoelstra said, “these are two really good teams playing back and forth.”
Star Lakers forward and former Heat star LeBron James appreciated the challenge the Heat provided.
“It was like a heavyweight bout,” James said. “Like the old days, the old boxing form and Ali-type atmosphere. That type of rhythm. That type of physicality. Two teams that are playing extremely well right now.”
2.) LeBron James’ turnovers turn into the Heat’s benefit early, but then he and Anthony Davis came to life
Speaking of James, it was inevitable that he and Anthony Davis were going to get their stats.
But in the first half, the Heat was able to minimize the damage and took advantage of some rare miscues from James.
James turned the ball over seven times in the first half, which led to eight Heat points, including a pair of big dunks by Derrick Jones Jr., to help the Heat take a 59-51 halftime lead.
But then the two played like the All-Stars and Future Hall of Famers that they are.
Davis finished with a game-high 34 points for the Lakers (23-3), and James added 28 points of his own along with 11 assists and nine rebounds.
“They are studs,” Spoelstra said. “They are great players that will find a way to put their fingerprints on the game.”
3.) The Heat’s perfect home record comes to an end.
The Heat entered Friday’s game with a perfect 11-0 record at AmericanAirlines Arena, outscoring opponents by an average of 15.7 points per game on their home court.
The Lakers came in an NBA-best 12-1 on the road, putting up an average of eight more points per game than the hosts.
Something had to give.
In the end, the Lakers kept their streak going. The Heat’s run, the longest in franchise history to begin a season, came to an end.
“It hurts for sure,” Adebayo said. “Everybody wants to be undefeated in something. We had it going tonight, but onto the next one. I will be fine if we have one loss for the rest of the year at home.”
4.) All in all, it was still a solid homestand for the Heat.
While the loss stings, the Heat still had a strong four-game homestand overall.
Miami won the first three games 112-103 over the Washington Wizards on Dec. 6, 110-105 in overtime over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday and 135-121 in overtime over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday with big moments coming throughout.
None likely bigger, though, than the win over the Hawks when the Heat closed the game on a 24-4 run and had career performance after career performance after career performance.
The short list: Triple-doubles by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, a career-high 36 points from Nunn and a career-high 34 points by Duncan Robinson.
5.) Can the Heat finally win the second game of a back-to-back?
The Heat has played four sets of back-to-back games so far this season.
They have lost the second game of all four sets.
They could end that stretch on Saturday when they face the Dallas Mavericks at 8:30 p.m. as the Heat begins a three-game road trip. The Heat faces Memphis on Monday and Philadelphia on Wednesday before returning back to Miami for another four-game homestand.
“We’ve already moved on,” rookie guard Tyler Herro said. “Coach came in here and told us we have another one tomorrow.”
The results from the other three back-to-back sets so far:
A 116-109 loss at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 27 one day after a 131-126 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
A 95-80 loss to the Lakers on Nov. 8 after beating the Phoenix Suns 124-108.
A 113-86 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 23 the day after beating the Chicago Bulls 116-108.
And a 112-93 loss to the Boston Celtics on Dec. 4 the day after they beat the Toronto Raptors 121-110 in overtime.
“We have been horrendous on back-to-backs,” Spoelstra said. “There is no time like now for us to go into a place where they are playing good basketball and that’s a challenge our guys are willing to accept. We have no choice.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 11:16 PM.
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