Although Josh Hart played in the second of a back-to-back and Alex Caruso joined the bench unit, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a second consecutive loss at the California Classic, falling 89-74 to the Miami Heat.
Miami opened the game on a 10-0 run, then held separate 13-1 and 18-3 leads in the first quarter. The Lakers trailed by as many as 31 points during the game.
The Heat were led early by Duncan Robinson, who was lights-out behind the arc. He made three of four attempts behind the arc in the first 10 minutes. Playing opposite collegiate teammate Moritz Wagner, Robinson finished with the better line at 19 points, four rebounds and two assists.
As a team, Miami shot 7-for-11 from deep and led 31-19 at the end of the first quarter. The seven 3-pointers matched the amount made in their first California Classic game, in which the Heat scored just 68 points.
After falling into a big deficit in the first quarter, the Lakers never really threatened the rest of the way. Though he successfully lobbied the Lakers brass to allow him to play, Hart was only on the court for 14 minutes, during which time he missed all four shots take and finished with only one point, one assist and one rebound.
Heading into Summer League, Hart was only scheduled to play one game at the California Classic and one in Las Vegas. Los Angeles has games set for Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday, though what’s ahead for Hart is unclear.
A bright spot for the Lakers was 2018 NBA Draft pick Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. Beyond leading the team with 12 points, Mykhailiuk showed an ability to put the ball on the floor and finish at the basket. It was an area Lakers Summer League head coach Miles Simon emphasized heading into play.
Wagner was the Lakers’ second leading scorer at eight points, to go along with four rebounds.
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