In what was a defensive slugfest for most of the contest, the HEAT fell to the Lakers 95-80 Friday night at Staples Center.
And while Miami didn’t get the job done, the squad still fought hard on the second night of a back-to-back.
Let’s check out some notable performances.
1. Butler Stays Tough
After balling out against the Suns on Thursday, Jimmy Butler stayed aggressive in L.A.
Not only did he attack the basket with purpose and take advantage from the charity stripe, but he also came through with some timely cuts off the ball.
Of course, Butler also did his thing defensively and swooped in for this great steal late in the second quarter where he looked like a defensive back in football:
Yeah, we’ve seen that before.
In all, the 30-year-old vet had a team-high 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
2. Dragić Mixes It Up
Simply put, Goran Dragić had his entire offensive repertoire on display, as he finished plays at the rim, drilled a few treys and dished out some great passes.
All told, he led the HEAT with seven assists, including this remarkable feed to Butler late in the third quarter:
When it was all said and done, Dragić amassed 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-7 from deep, and six boards to go along with his aforementioned team-high seven assists.
3. Bam Remains Versatile
With a tough challenge on the other side, Bam Adebayo didn’t back down and stuck with it on both ends of the floor.
After making a great effort on this steal and slam in the second quarter…
…he hit the Lakers with a bevy of ball fakes on this drive to the bucket midway through the third:
Impressive.
Adebayo ended up with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, a team-high nine rebounds (three offensive), four assists, a game-high three steals and a block.
Game Notes:
-Derrick Jones Jr. (Left Hip Strain) was an active scratch.
-Justise Winslow (Concussion Protocol), Dion Waiters (Illness), Daryl Macon (G League - Two-Way) and KZ Okpala (Left Achilles Strain) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will finally head home and prepare for its next matchup against the Pistons on Tuesday at 7:30 PM. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.