The Miami HEAT fell to the Los Angeles Lakers 127-100 Friday night at Staples Center. Willie Reed led the way for the HEAT with 22 points.
1. Reed Never Quits
To put it simply, Reed was engaged and active on the offensive glass all night. In fact, the big fella tallied seven offensive boards against the Lakers, as he gave Miami multiple second-chance opportunities. Whether it was tip-ins or put-back jams, Reed had it all on display.
Of course, Reed also rolled to the rim for some powerful finishes. A prime example of that occurred early on in the contest. With 8:27 left in the first quarter, James Johnson drove inside from the left wing and lofted up a nice lob for Reed, which the center slammed home with authority.
Otherwise, the 26-year-old Reed fought hard until the very end and gave it all he had. In addition to his 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting, the Saint Louis product also led the team with 12 rebounds and three blocks.
2. J. Johnson Does A Little Bit of Everything
While James Johnson had a strong first half thanks to some nifty moves in the post and a handful of catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, the versatile forward really got going in the third. In fact, Johnson tallied nine points, four rebounds and a steal in the period, as he responded well after picking up a technical foul. Throughout the contest, the 29-year-old brought the ball up the floor, attacked the basket and initiated offense. On the flip side of the ball, he had a few nice sequences of help-side defense. Johnson finished with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, five rebounds, two steals and a block.
3. Tyler Johnson Will Dunk On You
With the HEAT trailing early in the second quarter, Tyler Johnson led the charge on an 11-0 run to put his team ahead. Naturally, one of his best plays of the night occurred during the flurry.
With 7:59 to play in the second, T. Johnson picked off a pass from Lou Williams, took a few dribbles and gave it to Goran Dragić near midcourt. Dragić then gave it back to Johnson, who threw down the massive one-handed jam over Williams.
Shortly thereafter, T. Johnson swatted Jordan Clarkson’s jumper, which led to a layup in transition for Dragić.
In all, the 24-year-old scored 11 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists to go along with his aforementioned block and steal.
Other Takeaways:
-While Dragić had a quick start to the third quarter with seven points, he was ejected with 5:29 left in the period after an incident with Clarkson resulted in a double-tech. The Slovenian finished with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists.
-Derrick Williams was very assertive against Los Angeles, as the 25-year-old attacked the basket and got to the free-throw line often. On the flip side of the ball, he blocked Thomas Robinson in the post. In total, Williams scored six points, grabbed six boards and dished out two assists to go along with that block.
Game Note:
-Justise Winslow (right shoulder surgery), Hassan Whiteside (right retinal contusion) and Josh McRoberts (left foot stress fracture) sat out.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will stay in L.A. to face the Clippers on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 PM. Miami’s next home game will be on January 17 against the Rockets at 7:30 PM. Tickets for that game can be found here.