The Lakers might have more problems that go beyond the basketball being played.
Anthony Davis had a groin spasm that limited his movements. He tried to play in the second half but he eventually exited as he couldn’t be as mobile as he wanted to be. The Lakers did come back with 6 main roster players left but fell short in the final possession. The Heat took the duke, 108-107.
For all intents and purposes, the Lakers played the Heat really well in this game. Both teams also shot well from the field overall (Lakers at .543 and the Heat at .466). Both teams also played some fantastic defense that saw the Heat go on a 10-0 run in the third and the Lakers rally back from that double-digit deficit. Each team had 17 turnovers but that’s going to happen when the defense is locked in.
But as mentioned, Davis got hurt in the second quarter. He would try to play but ultimately left the game after too much pain. D’Angelo Russell got ejected early in the fourth quarter and it was not the most sound decision by Russell considering the Lakers were already missing Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Jalen Hood-Schifino.
Still, LeBron James and Austin Reaves led the way back. LeBron did a lot of this in Miami:
You don't want to get in front of that man! 😤 pic.twitter.com/ekJ9r6djx5
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 7, 2023
The Heat were still up, 108-99, with under four minutes left before the Lakers scored 8 straight, topped off by a LeBron James three-point play the old-fashioned way (like… 1990 old-fashioned).
Then the last 2:39 was filled with bad decisions and missed shots.
The Lakers couldn’t take advantage of the Heat’s mishaps as they both were locked in what looked like 6th grade recess basketball. LeBron missed a three. Then he got called for a charge. Austin Reaves would miss two more threes.
And then it was down to the final possession for the Lakers with 8.9 seconds left and that same 108-107 tally. This was the play:
Cam Reddish misses the wide open corner three and the Heat survive in a THRILLER in Miami. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/GbHLE6ydrq
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) November 7, 2023
Fans could argue until they’re blue in the face but this would be a different conversation if Cam Reddish made the three. Could they have picked a better man to pass it to? According to the percentages, yes. But there wasn’t much time left and they had to make a decision. Sure, he could’ve made the extra pass to Taurean Prince. Some said that maybe LeBron should’ve kept it. But if nothing was made, it’s all the same result. I thought LeBron made the right play and he’s won many times doing it his way.
As it was, it was a good play. And sometimes, you miss. That’s just the way it goes.
The Lakers played really well despite being really shorthanded. And the Heat, being 2-4, going into this game had to play well, too, before they fall off the standings. Just a well-played game from both teams but too bad, the good guys didn’t win.
The Lakers were led by LeBron James with 30 points. Austin Reaves came close to a triple-double with a 23-10-9 clip. Safe to say that he is out of that rut. As for the Heat, Jimmy Butler scored a quiet 28 points while Bam Adebayo had an extemely loud 22-20-10 triple-double. Tyler Herro contributed 22 points as well.
Los Angeles is 0-2 on this road trip but hopefully, they’ll fare much better on Wednesday against the youthful and foolish Houston Rockets, who are a surprising 3-3 at the moment. More importantly, let’s hope Davis recovers quickly from his injury. There’s no need to remind us about his injury history; let’s all hope for the best here.
