Subscribe
Follow Us
The Miami Heat leave Monday night with a statement win as they beat the Los Angeles Lakers in a thriller, 108-107. After the Heat had a monotonous start to the season consisting of a four-game losing stretch, the team now has a two-game winning streak as they defeat LeBron James and the Lakers.
The trinity of the Heat in Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and especially Bam Adebayo all put together great performances which led to the win. Arguably the best player on the floor was Adebayo who got his seventh career triple-double has he scored 22 points, an eye-opening 20 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Butler had a team-high 28 points while Herro collected 22 of his own. Miami had found their groove through the first three quarters, up until the last period. However, the game came down to the last possession and the Lakers' Cam Reddish missed the shot to seal the deal for Miami.
FINAL: HEAT 108 – LAKERS 107
Man….that was close. Here’s the final possession. A statement win for Miami. #HEATCulture pic.twitter.com/QPHQqIbWH8
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) November 7, 2023
In defeat, LeBron James would score a game-high 30 points with Austin Reaves contributing 23 points on 64 percent shooting. Anthony Davis played 24 minutes, scoring nine points, but had several occasions where he came out of the game with an injury.
Here are three Heat takeaways from the win vs. the Lakers:
A shootout in the first half
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first half as both offenses were as potent as can be as the score was at 62-59 in the Heat's favor at the end of the first half. It was almost similar to another game in the 2020 NBA Finals as both teams were giving it all, but this time around, there were live fans going crazy.
The Heat's offense was the best it's looked all-season as the team's trinity in Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro each contributed to the big scoring half and played to their strengths. Butler had 12 first half points as Adebayo and Herro would collect 11.
However, it's hard to stop the Lakers dynamic duo of James and Davis as the former Heat superstar scored 13 points and Davis had nine in the first 24 minutes. In fact, the better Laker not named James was Reaves who led his team in the first half with 14, continuing to be a vital piece for Los Angeles.
Bam Adebayo with a triple-double vs. Anthony Davis and the Lakers
Even with the court full of star players like James, Davis, and Butler, no one was as good as Adebayo Monday night. The triple-double is obviously an extraordinary feat, but his performance tells a different story of domination. While fans know Bam has improved offensively and has always been good defensively, he was the Heat's No. 1 playmaker as he was showing off his overlooked passing skills.
The matchup between himself and Davis was one to watch, but Adebayo was the better player, especially early in the game when Davis had trouble scoring on the Heat center. While fans couldn't get to see a full-game matchup due to Davis and his injury issues, Adebayo would keep up his excellent performance until the very end.
Another fourth quarter scare for the Heat
It wouldn't be a Heat game without a heart-attack inducing ending right? Once again, you can feel the goosebumps from the crowd in the Kaseya Center as the game came down to the very last possession, but backing it up, how did the Heat get here?
The Heat caught fire in the third quarter, most notably on defense as besides scoring a collective 28 points, they only allowed the Lakers to score 20. They built up a 11-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but it was an absolutely wild final period. For Miami, it was also a sloppy one. Once again, their lead was dwindled to a single-point before the Reddish miss at the end, but it was an open shot.
It's absolutely a statement win for the Heat, but not to be a Debbie Downer, the team scored 18 points and had nine turnovers in the quarter. The Heat weren't lucky per se, but they caught a break as James looked like he was about to have another come from behind victory. While it's important to acknowledge the win, the Heat still lost another lead.
At the end of the day, it's a huge win for the Heat and a much-needed one as their next four games are on the road. Their upcoming matchup is against the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 8.
