The Lakers mustered together a team effort to scrape together a win in their last game. While impressive, they face a complete Miami Heat team looking to bounce back from a recent loss. Without James in the lineup, Miami have a clear advantage.
Pick:
Miami Heat def. Los Angeles Lakers
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Head-to-Head: Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers
| Miami Heat |
Head-to-Head |
Los Angeles Lakers |
| Erik Spoelstra |
Head Coach |
Frank Vogel |
| 7-3 (2nd in East) |
Standing |
6-5 (8th in West) |
| L-W-L-W |
Form |
W-L-W-W |
| 113.8 (2nd of 30) |
Off Rtg |
105.6 (20th of 30) |
| 102.1 (4th of 30) |
Def Rtg |
106.8 (12th of 30) |
| 97.0 (28th of 30) |
Pace |
103.2 (12th of 30) |
|
Leaders (Per Game)
|
| J. Butler (24.7) |
PPG |
L. James (24.8) |
| B. Adebayo (12.0) |
RPG |
A. Davis (11.0) |
| K. Lowry (7.5) |
APG |
R. Westbrook (7.9) |
| J. Butler (2.3) |
SPG |
L. James (2.3) |
| B. Adebayo (0.5) |
BPG |
A. Davis (2.1) |
| D. Dedmon (.553)/J. Butler (8.6) |
FG%/FGM |
D. Jordan (.758)/L. James (9.5) |
| T. Herro (.426)/T. Herro (2.9) |
3P%/3PM |
C. Anthony (.492)/C. Anthony (3.2) |
Injury Report
| Player |
Team |
Date |
Status |
Info |
| V. Oladipo |
Miami Heat |
23 Sep 2021 |
Out (Right Knee) |
There is no timetable set for Oladipo’s return to the court. |
| M. Strus |
Miami Heat |
8 Nov 2021 |
Out (Knee) |
Strus did not play in Miami’s Monday (Nov 8) game. |
| T. Ariza |
Los Angeles Lakers |
6 Oct 2021 |
Out (Ankle) |
Ariza underwent right ankle surgery and will be re-evaluated in eight weeks. |
| T. Horton-Tucker |
Los Angeles Lakers |
11 Oct 2021 |
Out (Thumb) |
Horton-Tucker has a torn ligament in his right thumb and will undergo surgery. |
| K. Nunn |
Los Angeles Lakers |
21 Oct 2021 |
Out (Ankle/Knee) |
Nunn is expected to be re-evaluated in mid-late November. |
| L. James |
Los Angeles Lakers |
4 Nov 2021 |
Out (Abdominal) |
James is expected to miss at least one week. |
MIA: Defend as a Unit
The Miami Heat are a well-drilled squad, but in their recent loss to the Denver Nuggets they showed that their team defence isn’t quite as polished as the individual defenders that they tout.
Despite scrambling out to the three-point line in their last game, where the Nuggets shot 29.3% from deep, the Heat allowed the Nuggets to shoot 46.2% from the field as 28 of their 42 field goals were assisted. The Lakers don’t have a passing talent at the level of Nikola Jokic, but Miami need to limit what is created from Los Angeles’ stars.
Miami excels when the pace is slowed and they can settle into a halfcourt defence. The Lakers seem to fill the correct role for Miami to succeed, but they need to be as tenacious defending off the ball as they are on it.
Heat Key Player: (G) Kyle Lowry
The Heat is coming off of a big loss against the Denver Nuggets. When they take on the Los Angeles Lakers, they’ll need much more than they got from All-Star Kyle Lowry this time out.
In his last game, Kyle Lowry was dreadful. He was held scoreless on 0 for 8 shooting and contributed just 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 turnovers.
Lowry is supposed to be the Heat’s general, who initiates their offense. When he can’t punish teams for hanging off of him the Heat suddenly looks very average. Miami’s success against the Lakers will be on his shoulders.
LAL: Win the Battle on the Glass
The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off of a gritty victory over the Charlotte Hornets. While they stole a game away in overtime, they have a lot to improve on – mostly their effort on the boards.
It’s difficult to see a lineup that includes Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan, and Dwight Howard and think that they’ll lose the rebounding battle. However, that’s exactly what happened against the energetic Hornets. The Lakers were contained on the glass 55 to 51, while also allowing 14 offensive rebounds to their 8.
The Heat are the top team in the league when it comes to rebounding, despite the “small” lineup that they tend to run. The Lakers have a lot of skilled players, but not many that you’d consider blue-collar. They can’t be outworked if they want to win against the Heat.
Lakers Key Player: (F) Anthony Davis
When the Lakers take the court without LeBron James, it is supposed to be Anthony Davis who picks up the slack. He hasn’t been consistent in that regard but rose to the challenge in their overtime victory on Monday.
Davis finished his last game with 32 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 assists, and 3 steals in an overtime victory. He even scored 6 of the Lakers’ 11 overtime points.
If James continues to sit out, Davis is the one player that can make a massive difference when he’s on the court. Offensively, defensively, or both, an engaged Davis can lock down any opposing team.
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