There is no question the Los Angeles Lakers’ 20turnovers in their Thursday night loss to the Heat played a major role in their demise. Even though the Lakers cut back on the turnovers in the second half, the team was very careless with the ball and that allowed the Heat to score easy buckets on the other end of the court.
After the game, coach Mike D’Antoni spoke to the media and Dave McMenamin tweeted that D’Antoni saw the turnover totals as a reason why the Lakers fell to the Heat.
D’Antoni: “At the end of the day, turnovers killed us” The Lakers had 20. Kobe had 6 of them
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 18, 2013
The Lakers did manage to take a half-time lead despite the 16 first half turnovers, and they remained in striking distance essentially the entire game. However, down the stretch the Heat executed very well and the Lakers had no answer for LeBron James.
Los Angeles did have chances to win the game, but it could not make plays on either side of the court to claim the victory. It was another great effort by the Lakers, but they cannot afford any more moral victories at this point of the season.
