The Los Angeles Lakers were hoping to get off to a solid start in the second annual California Classic in Sacramento versus the Miami Heat, but lost 106-79.
Despite plenty of new faces, the Lakers came out firing and had no trouble finding their footing on both ends of the floor early on. It did not take them very long to establish a double-digit lead over the Heat thanks to the efforts of Joe Young.
However, the Heat quickly were able to re-take the momentum with the combined efforts of Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro. The Heat eventually managed to go on a 24-6 run to close out the first quarter with a 30-20 lead after shooting 5-of-8 from the three-point line.
The Lakers continued to struggle in the second quarter as the Heat were consistently able to take advantage of their lackluster effort on both sides. Zach Norvell Jr. was able to provide a bit of a spark on offense by making his presence felt from deep with a couple of three-pointers.
Los Angeles was plagued by their carelessness with the ball which led to easy opportunities for Miami and they were able to take full advantage by scoring 11 points off seven turnovers. To make matters worse, their lack of perimeter defense led to the Heat finishing the first half with a 27-point lead after shooting a scorching 12-of-17 from deep.
The Heat’s effort on defense carried over into the second half and it became evident that the Lakers had no answer for it. Fortunately, they were able to somewhat stop the bleeding with some stifling defense of their own.
Los Angeles made a much more concerted effort to get to the free-throw line after continuing to struggle on offense, but it did little to cut into the mounting deficit. Although they managed to somewhat contain Miami in the third quarter, they still found themselves down by 32 points going into the final period.
Although the Lakers continued to battle, they could not overcome the deficit.