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With the NBA season freshly underway, teams are vying for position and seeing where they stand among the rest of the league. The Miami Heat are no different, and after a shaky 2-4 start to begin the season, they may have found some footing against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
Miami (3-4) defeated Los Angeles (3-4) 108-107 Monday night at home. The big win didn’t come on its own. The Heat were boosted by Lakers star Anthony Davis leaving early with an injury. Reports say he will return Wednesday vs. Houston.
How It Happened
Don't let the night end without calling a Lakers fan! #WINNING pic.twitter.com/Y8bsG0q7hz
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) November 7, 2023
The Heat got major performances from its big three of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Butler led the way with 28 points, six rebounds and four assists. Adebayo put on a monster 22 point, 20 rebound performance with two blocks to boot. Herro had 22 points including the go-ahead three late in the fourth quarter.
Lebron James carried the brunt of the load for the Lakers. He dropped 30 points, four rebounds and three assists with three blocks on the night. Austin Reaves followed behind with 23 points and led the team with 10 rebounds and nine assists. Davis racked up nine points, six rebounds and four assists before heading to the locker room early.
Miami was in control nearly the entire game despite the closely-contested score. In the final stretch, LA turned it on to bring it within one point, but the Heat survived at the buzzer to win the game.
What’s Next
— HeatMuse (@Heat_Muse) November 7, 2023
Miami is now one win away from returning to .500 on the season. They’ll take on a another Western Conference foe in the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday night.
The Lakers, who have now fallen below .500 and sit at 0-4 this season on the road, will hope to turn around their away misfortunes against Houston Wednesday at 8 p.m. Davis will likely be back for the contest, but ESPN FPI only gives LA a 50.5% chance to win against the scrappy, young Rockets.
