Reeling Heat have zero room to play around against the streaking Lakers

A third straight loss has the potential to make the Miami Heat's seven-game win streak feel like ages ago, but that's not why the Heat have little room to mess around against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. 

The Lakers come into Miami riding their own seven-game win streak, fresh off back-to-back wins against the Houston Rockets, seeking to extend it to eight. The Heat welcome the Lakers in the middle of a two-game losing streak, seeking to break it. 

The inter-conference matchup should present a heightened sense of fun and excitement, given that LeBron James will be in the building. That said, the Heat are back in a play-in spot after briefly pulling themselves out, so how they fare against the Lakers is all the more important — James in the building should mean nothing to Miami's players.

Heat look to break losing streak against the red-hot Lakers

With the Lakers playing on the second night of a back-to-back, it's uncertain whether J.J. Redick will play his full complement of players or whether someone like James will sit. The fact is, it doesn't matter what LA's starting lineup looks like — the Heat have to play a full game at the risk of dropping a third straight contest.

With back-to-back losses against the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets, the Heat will hopefully have Bam Adebayo back in the lineup, who has been upgraded to "probable" on Miami's injury list for the Lakers game. Adebayo missed the Heat's 136-106 blowout loss to the Hornets this past Tuesday.

One player the Heat will definitely be without is Andrew Wiggins, who has missed Miami's last six games with a toe injury. Additionally, Jamie Jaquez Jr. is listed as questionable with a hip ailment. If Adebayo does indeed return, this bodes well for the Heat, giving them a much better chance against a Lakers team that has seen DeAndre Ayton step up his game significantly of late.

Being on home court matters, and it should give the Heat the upper hand. That said, the Lakers have hit their own stride on the road as of late, and could pose a troubling element for the Heat if they're not on their game. Thursday's matchup will be the second and final meeting for the Heat and Lakers — the Heat dropped the first game in early November. 

After the Hornets' loss, Erik Spoelstra lamented how the Heat ended the game, more than the loss itself. He insisted the focus had already turned to the Lakers. We'll see how focused the Heat will be then, whether they can stop their losing streak and the Lakers' streak in one night, or continue theirs and let the Lakers do the same.