Starting in the NBA for the first time in two years, 35-year-old Metta World Peace looked much like the 2010 version of himself, who was a key figure in the Lakers’ championship run.
Unfortunately for L.A. (1-6), the remainder of its 101-88 loss to Miami resembled little of such times.
The Lakers trailed by just one at halftime, but the Heat (5-3) expanded their lead to as many as 18 points in a 51-39 second half.
Head coach Byron Scott attributed much of this to becoming too isolation-heavy with players trying to win the game by themselves.
“We just seemed to really lose our focus,” Scott said. “Mentally we just started getting down. As I told our guys, I think all of a sudden we started to go away from each other. We weren’t together as a team. You can’t win like that.”
With Kobe Bryant (back) sitting out, World Peace (14 points) and Nick Young (17) filled his small forward position by bombing the Heat from beyond the arc. World Peace shot 4-of-4 from downtown, while Young began 5-of-5, though he missed his final four triples.
“Once they started keying in and putting lockdown defenders in and double-teaming me … it’s tough,” Young said. “It’s tough constantly trying to come back.”
But while L.A. shot 11-of-22 from deep on the league’s best defensive 3-point team (27.0 percent allowed), Miami responded by bullying the Lakers down low.
Led by a 19-point, 15-rebound display from Hassan Whiteside, Miami outscored the purple and gold 46-30 in the paint and 21-8 on second chances.
Meanwhile, L.A. — which entered the game leading the NBA in free throw attempts (31.8) — went just 9-of-12 at the line, with only Lou Williams and Julius Randle even attempting foul shots.
“We settled on jump shots,” Scott said, “and I think the fact that they had a big guy down there in Whiteside, who can block shots, probably deterred us from going to the basket sometimes.”
Though Young led the Lakers on a 21-4 run from the end of the first quarter through the first four minutes of the second to take a 39-33 lead, Miami stormed back behind Whiteside and Chris Bosh, who added 18 of his season-high 30 points in the second half.
Bosh outscored the Lakers by himself at the charity stripe (10-of-12) and also collected 11 rebounds for his third double-double in four games.
Bryant Uncertain for Wednesday
Immediately after their loss to Miami, the Lakers headed to the airport for their game in Orlando the very next day.
But whether World Peace or Bryant — who said he had trouble walking before Tuesday’s game — will start is still uncertain.
“I had difficulty with the back a little bit during training camp,” Bryant said. “Today I couldn’t shake it free.”
Notes
The Lakers had a 49-22 advantage in bench scoring, but Miami’s starters outscored L.A.’s 75-39. … The Heat were without Mario Chalmers and James Ennis, whom they traded to Memphis for Beno Udrih and Jarnell Stokes before the game. … Miami’s Gerald Green was also inactive and serving a two-game suspension for detrimental conduct. … A sellout audience of 19,825 attended at American Airlines Arena.
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