Coming off three disappointing loss, the Los Angeles Lakers looked to get back on track on Wednesday night when they welcomed the Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat to Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers suffered a historic blowout to the Heat in Miami at the beginning of December. This time, they were able to erase a first-half deficit to come away with a 117-108 victory and snap their three-game losing streak.
Both offenses had it going early as Tyler Herro and Max Christie exchanged 3-pointers and then Austin Reaves completed a three-point play. Herro killed the Lakers in the first matchup and that was again the case early in this one as he had 13 quick points to give the Heat a lead.
Once the Lakers settled in a bit defensively though, they were able to get out in transition with Rui Hachimura and Anthony Davis finishing dunks to regain the lead and force a Miami timeout.
Both teams continued to exchange buckets in a fast-paced first quarter although the Heat ended it on an 8-2 run to take a 38-34 lead.
Miami’s run continued into the second quarter as the Laker deficit ballooned to double digits, forcing JJ Redick to call a timeout.
Herro was again a thorn in the Lakers’ side as he literally could not miss from deep. Meanwhile, the Lakers couldn’t figure out the Heat’s zone defense and as a result went into the halftime locker room trailing 66-54.
The Lakers looked like a different team to begin the third quarter as they were playing with much better energy on both sides of the floor, beginning the half on a 7-0 run. After a pair of triples by LeBron James, who had a quiet first half, the Lakers cut their deficit to just one.
The Heat responded with a run of their own although this time the Lakers didn’t let things snowball and quickly got back on track. After Dalton Knecht made two free throws to end the third quarter, L.A. went into the fourth with a slim 85-83 deficit.
After a 3-pointer by Gabe Vincent against his former team, the Lakers took their first lead in a while. Reaves then found James for an alley-oop, getting the entire home crowd on its feet.
It was all Lakers from there as Hachimura, Reaves and James made some big shots down the stretch to close out the comeback victory.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will return to the court on Friday when they host the Brooklyn Nets, which will mark the return of D’Angelo Russell to Crypto.com Arena after being traded a few weeks ago.
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