The Lakers started off their six-game road trip with a win over the Orlando Magic on Friday, despite the slow start. Tonight, they found themselves down by as many as 26 points and mounted a decent comeback late in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the effort was all for naught as Miami held on to secure a 113-107 victory.
After a Russell Westbrook 14-foot jump shot gave the Purple and Gold a 4-2 advantage early in the first, the Lakers would never see the lead again the rest of the contest. Miami was hitting from all cylinders throughout the night led by 17 at halftime (scored 30-plus points in the first two quarters).
The furious rally began with a pair of Stanley Johnson free throws with about six minutes left in the game. L.A. would go on a 17-5 run and would cut the deficit by five in the closing three minutes (Lakers would outscore Miami 37-24 in the final frame).
The Heat would make a few clutch threes and force a late turnover to prevent any letdown. Six missed free throws is, perhaps, the difference in the game ending up in overtime or a possible Lakers win.
LeBron James led the way, per usual, and ended his night with a 33-point, 11-rebound double-double (his 13th this season) and tacked on four assists and two steals in a team-high 40 minutes. It is the now the 17th-straight game LBJ has scored 25-plus points and the 21st time he has finished with 30-plus points (leads the league).
Carmelo Anthony joined some elite company when he knocked down his second basket of the night in the second quarter. The 27-foot three-pointer was career field goal No. 10,000 for Melo, as he joins 14 other men in NBA history to record 10,000-plus field goals in their career.
Anthony finished with 11 points and three rebounds off the bench.
Westbrook ended his 32-minute night with 24 points and came up just one rebound and one assist shy from a triple-double (finished with nine total in each category).
Avery Bradley added 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting from three-point range despite the team shooting 27.5 percent overall.
The Lakers will leave Florida to head to “The Big Apple” where they will face the high-powered Brooklyn Nets this Tuesday.