Here is what you need to know before the Lakers welcome the Miami Heat to Los Angeles.
1)
The Lakers will be playing immediately after crossing state lines as they spent the previous night up north battling Portland. The Lakers led by as many as 14 points, but a back-and-forth second half tilted the Trail Blazers’ way for a 118-109 final.
2)
Nick Young hit three 3-pointers in Oregon, putting him one away from the 100 mark this season. The 31-year-old has been one of the league’s top sharpshooters, ranking fourth in made triples (3.1 per game) and seventh in 3-point percentage (44.4).
3)
Last time these teams faced one another, the Lakers fell in Miami for the ninth straight year after squandering a 19-point lead. Lou Williams led the purple and gold with 27 points off the bench, but the Heat answered back with matching 23-point, 13-rebound efforts from Hassan Whiteside and Justise Winslow.
4)
This game should look a lot different, especially considering that the Heat could be without both of those players. Winslow (torn labrum, right shoulder) is out for the season while Whiteside (eye injury) has missed Miami’s last three games. As a whole, the Heat have lost a league-high 144 games due to injury and used 15 different starting lineups.
5)
That inconsistency has led to some real struggles lately, as the Heat had lost six straight games before winning in Sacramento on Wednesday. Over this stretch, Miami is averaging an NBA-low 96.0 points per game and being outscored by 5.9 a night.
6)
Miami’s leading scorer, Goran Dragic (19.0), will hence be tasked with both directing and shouldering the offense. The point guard is 12th in the NBA in assists (6.8) and likes to attack the basket for layups and kick-outs, though he is also quite a capable shooter.
7)
The Heat have one of the league’s most productive bench duos, who also happen to share a name. Tyler Johnson and James Johnson have combined for the league’s most points per game among teammates with zero starts (25.3) — just barely ahead of the Lakers’ Lou Williams and Larry Nance Jr. (25.2).
8)
The Johnsons and co. have been key to Miami’s success, as it is just 1-13 when its bench is outscored by the opponent’s. Fortunately for the Lakers, they boast the league’s highest-scoring group of reserves (49.1 ppg), led by Williams (18.2) and Jordan Clarkson (14.0).
9)
Despite having a league-high eight players averaging double-digit scoring, the Heat’s offense has surprisingly been one of the most ineffective in the NBA. In fact, they average 98.4 points per game — a figure only higher than Dallas’ 95.6.
10)
The Heat’s record sits at 11-26 just four years removed from their last NBA title in 2014. However, the franchise can hardly be counted out for long with Pat Riley pulling the strings as team president. Riley, of course, won four championships as coach of the Showtime Lakers in the mid-1980s. Since then, he coached Miami to a ring in 2006 before collecting two more as an executive.
Injury Report
Lakers: Luol Deng (right biceps tendonitis) did not play on Thursday. Larry Nance Jr. (bone bruise, left knee) is out.
Heat: Hassan Whiteside (eye) is TBD. Justice Winslow (torn labrum, right shoulder), Josh McRoberts (stress fracture, left foot) and Chris Bosh (illness) are out.
Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. PT
TV: Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum Deportes
Radio: 710 ESPN and 1330 KWKW