The Miami Heat were run out of their own building, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers, 131-113.
Would it really be a Miami Heat game without some players out to injury?
In the third game of a five-game home stint in Miami, the recently returned Kelly Olynyk rose to the occasion, replacing Tyler Johnson in the starting lineup. The starting five wouldn’t stay together for long though. A 13-point first quarter lead for the Lakers led Miami to run a smaller lineup with James Johnson at the four and Bam Adebayo at the five.
Until that point, the Lakers were outpacing Miami, whose offense was relegated to the halfcourt set. Swapping Hassan Whiteside and Olynyk in that first period, gave Miami their first lead in that same quarter.
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Head coach Erik Spoelstra’s decision to play up to the Lakers pace was among his best moves all year, resulting in Miami’s third highest scoring first quarter of the season (36 points). The Lakers entered the night leading the league in field goal attempts with 89.4 per game, to Miami’s 83.5.
However, the Heat’s pace change shifted immediately when Whiteside retook the floor. Unable to cover the Lakers’ Julius Randle or help on Isaiah Thomas, Los Angeles built up a 14-point second quarter lead.
As quickly as Spoelstra made the call to go small to matchup with the Lakers, his decision to let Whiteside play through a slow start didn’t pan out through the first half. Randle exploded for 21 points in his first 19 minutes of play.
Despite Whiteside’s inconsistent play, Spoelstra sent out the much-fabled tandem of Whiteside and Adebayo to start the third. The renewed focus on defense and athleticism didn’t start off hot however, as the Lakers’ ball movement kept the Heat reeling.
The lineup didn’t last long either; midway through the third, Whiteside was back on the bench with the Lakers still up 12.
As coolly as he carries himself, Justise Winslow was also subtly making headlines. For just the ninth time this year, Winslow posted double figures in scoring, dropping 17 on 7-for-11 shooting.
His contributions didn’t suffice, however. Without a combined near 23 points per game from Johnson and Ellington, Miami was playing from behind all night. Dwyane Wade also played his part, adding 25 points, his second highest mark of the year.
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Little was salvageable from the evening’s defeat, which saw the Heat give up 131 points, the most all season. Miami will resume play Saturday against the Detroit Pistons.