The Miami Heat have made it to their sixth and final game of their West Coast trip with a late night matchup against the LA Lakers. Following Miami’s loss to the LA Clippers on Monday, they are looking to bounce back and conclude the trip with a winning 4-2 record.
The up and down play of the Heat has seen them go 5-5 over their last 10 games, and currently sit the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed at a 20-18 record overall. Although, the Lakers have seen that same inconsistency, as they are equally seen at the seventh seed in the West at 20-17. This is a crucial game for both teams looking to respond from tough losses.
On Monday, the San Antonio Spurs handed the Lakers a 126-102 loss. In that outing, LA got strong performances from their star duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Both players are listed as probable heading into tonight.
Back in December, Miami defeated the Lakers by 41 points off the back of a Tyler Herro masterclass. The rising star knocked down seven consecutive 3-pointers in what was a personal 21-point third quarter from Herro on the night.
Herro could be seeing even more increased responsibility with his co-star Bam Adebayo’s status in jeopardy. Adebayo missed his first game of the season on Monday due to a lower back contusion, and he is questionable for tonight once again.
If Adebayo is a late scratch once again, expect more Kevin Love minutes in the big man depth. Love got the starting nod in Adebayo’s absence during the Clippers game and poured in three triples in the first quarter. Kel’el Ware ultimately got much more run off the bench than the veteran Love, who played 33 minutes over Love’s 15.
The Heat are 7-3 over the last ten games against the Lakers. Can they end this trip on a high note heading back to the 305?
Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):
Miami Heat:
- Kel’el Ware (foot) — PROBABLE
- Bam Adebayo (back) — QUESTIONABLE
- Josh Richardson (heel) — OUT
- Jimmy Butler (suspension) — OUT
- Dru Smith (achilles) — OUT
LA Lakers:
- Anthony Davis (plantar) — PROBABLE
- LeBron James (foot) — PROBABLE
- Bronny James (illness) — QUESTIONABLE
- Dorian Finney-Smith (personal reasons) — DOUBTFUL
- Jalen Hood-Schifino (hamstring) — OUT
- Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) — OUT
- Christian Wood (knee) — OUT
Projected Starting 5 (subject to change):
Miami Heat:
- Terry Rozier, G
- Tyler Herro, G
- Jaime Jaquez Jr., F
- Haywood Highsmith, F
- Bam Adebayo, C
LA Lakers:
- Austin Reaves, G
- Max Christie, G
- LeBron James, F
- Rui Hachimura, F
- Anthony Davis, C
Broadcast Info:
- Tipoff: 10:00 PM EST
- TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun (Eric Reid & John Crotty)
- Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
- Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
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