Julius Randle bullied his way to lead the Lakers with 25 points and 6 rebounds as the Lakers beat the Heat 131-113, ending a long losing streak down in South Beach. Lonzo Ball returned to the starting lineup scoring 8 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and a team-high 6 steals. Brandon Ingram racked up 19 points to go with 5 boards and 5 dimes, KCP added 18 points, and Brook Lopez chipped in 10 points to round out the starters. I.T. showed flashes of last year's MVP-worthy season with 29 points off the bench including 6 threes and 6 assists and Kyle Kuzma added 16 points and 6 rebounds to round out the 2nd unit.
Final Score: @ Miami 131-113 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20180301/LALMIA#/recap
Next Game: @ San Antonio (03/03)
Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*
2008. That year was the last time the Lakers won a road game in Miami. They finally end the South Beach jinx 10 years later. The Heat have always been a quality defensive team under Erik Spoelstra's watch. You know coming into this game they'd gameplan defensively to slow down the Lakers full court tempo. They could not stop them. It's impressive that this young Lakers team just hung 131 points on one of the more quality defensive teams in the NBA. It all started at the defensive end. The Lakers get stops, they are on the break. It didn't matter if Miami got back on defense, they were looking to attack. Randle and Ingram lead the way, pounding the rim at will. Lonzo Ball was big time in the steals category. Call him a bust all you want, but he's not there to pad his stats like a 2nd pick would. He does all the little things to give his team the win. Zo set the tone on the defensive end, providing some quality help defense to set up the fast breaks that the Lakers love to do on the open floor. The team got off to a fast start with a 20-7 lead. The Heat fought back with Dragic and Wade paving the way. I.T. comes in and he puts the game on ice for the Lakers. He was red hot from deep, especially down the stretch when he hit three 3-pointers to give the Lakers all kinds of cushion. They don't call him "the King in the Fourth" for nothing. He's proven that he can be lightning in a bottle, especially during crunch time. The Heat got gashed big time. It was great to see this young Lakers team use their speed, quickness, and unselfishness against one of the better defensive teams. With this win, the Lakers are now over their win total from last season. We're seeing game-by-game that there is a core to lean on and a future to build around. That's what will entice quality free agents to come instead of this franchise begging for those free agents to play for them. The Lakers are riding a 4-game win streak. That's their cutoff in terms of winning streaks so far this season. They'll look to go above that and keep the train rolling in San Antonio. Like last meeting, the Spurs will likely be short-handed again given the ankle injury to LaMarcus Aldridge and the uncertain return of Kawhi Leonard. But nonetheless, they're still a good team as long as a certain Coach Popovich is on the sideline. That's gonna be another good test for the Lakers and the team's continued improvement.
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