Familiar issue returns in loss to Lakers that Heat fans know all too well

After showing some promise of a three-game win streak during the Miami Heat’s West coast road trip, they end it on a sour note. Miami has now lost back-to-back games— falling to both Los Angeles teams to conclude this stretch.

Wednesday night’s 117–108 loss to the LA Lakers slipped away from Miami after an encouraging first half effort. Tyler Herro led the way once again offensively, finishing with a game-high 34 points on 12 of 18 shooting and 7 of 12 from 3-point range. Unfortunately, another All-Star caliber effort from him was wasted in the loss.

The rest of the rotation looked strong during the first half, as the Heat went into halftime sporting a 66-54 lead. 

That’s until the “turd quarter” came, where the Heat came out completely flat following halftime. The Lakers frontcourt of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura spearheaded a 29-19 third quarter advantage. They took that momentum into the fourth as well, where LA led the Heat 34-23 in the final period.

Miami’s inability to close out games and hold onto leads has been a lingering problem all season long. The second half struggles have played a major part in their overall inconsistency, as the team stays hovering around the play-in mix in the Eastern Conference. 

The LA Lakers had a 63-42 second half edge overall over the Miami Heat.

The entire second half philosophy is unknown, but the negative results have been a repeated issue throughout this 2024-25 campaign. Ultimately, the Heat are not getting enough of an offensive boost from their top highest paid players in Bam Adebayo and Terry Rozier. Herro’s 22-point first half put the Heat in position to earn this win, although they didn't get much support from the rest of the core down the stretch. 

This was Adebayo’s return to the lineup after missing his first game this season due to a lower back contusion in Miami’s previous loss against the LA Clippers. The big man was limited to just seven shot attempts and finished with a pedestrian 10 points, four rebounds and five assists.

As for Rozier, he continues to be in the midst of a significant regression. In 24 minutes as the starting point guard, he contributed a rough 6/2/2 statline— providing little to nothing on either side of the floor. His non-factor impact has been one of the biggest concerns to the Heat this season, among plenty others that have led to an up-and-down past few months of play for the team. 

The minimal contributions from that duo didn’t help the Heat’s case in their sluggish second half performance. The offense needs to provide more support for Herro, especially in the absence of Jimmy Butler.

Aside from the disappointing play between Adebayo and Rozier, Miami committed 13 more turnovers and allowed 24 more points in the paint than the Lakers— all attributes that led to another second half collapse. The Heat have now dropped to the East’s ninth seed at a 20-19 record overall.