The Miami HEAT defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 92-91 Friday night at STAPLES Center. Goran Dragić led the way for the HEAT with 30 points.
1. Dragić Wins It
Dragić sure has had some fun on the West Coast, hasn’t he?
After two fantastic outings against Portland and Sacramento earlier in the week, the Slovenian was at it again in Los Angeles.
While Dragić got whatever he wanted in the first half on Friday, his biggest play came when it mattered most.
With about 20 seconds to go, the point guard pushed the ball up the floor, utilized a screen from Bam Adebayo at the left elbow and hit a floater to put Miami ahead for good.
Clutch.
In addition to his team-high 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting, Dragić also tallied five boards and two assists.
2. BAM Gets Going After Halftime
After a slow start, Adebayo picked things up in the second half and really made his presence felt against the Lakers.
In fact, the rookie tallied nine points, four boards and an assist after halftime and also came through with this massive jam in traffic with contact:
That was impressive, but Adebayo’s biggest contribution came on the defensive end where he did a nice job on Julius Randle in the fourth quarter.
In all, the 20-year-old had 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds (five offensive) and two assists.
3. K.O. Strong Throughout
Although Kelly Olynyk took advantage from the perimeter early on, he kept up his crafty ways around the basket later in the contest.
How so?
Just look at this nifty spin and finish against Lonzo Ball:
Smart, smart play.
On the flip side of the ball, Olynyk was quite active and grabbed three steals on the night.
When it was all said and done, the 7-footer amassed 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, five rebounds and two blocks to go along with his aforementioned three steals.
Other Takeaways:
-While Justise Winslow didn’t score all that much, both he and Adebayo made the key stop at the end and forced Isaiah Thomas into a miss with about three seconds left.
Winslow finished with two points, four assists, three rebounds, one block and a team-high plus-11 rating.
Game Note:
-Hassan Whiteside (left hip pain), Dwyane Wade (mild left hamstring strain), Derrick Walton Jr. (Sioux Falls assignment) and Dion Waiters (left ankle surgery) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will finally head home to prepare for their matchup with the Nuggets on Monday. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.