On January 6th, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued with the Lakers hosting the Heat at home. These two teams can be described as "suffering brothers," with the Lakers having a record of 20 wins and 17 losses, ranking seventh in the West; while the Heat had a record of 20 wins and 18 losses, ranking seventh in the East. In the past three games, the Lakers suffered consecutive defeats against the Rockets, Mavericks, and Spurs. Especially in the last two games, they suffered a 21-point defeat against the Mavericks without the Eastern European duo, and a 24-point collapse in the final quarter against the Spurs, leaving the team's morale shattered and lacking in fighting spirit. The team faced several issues, primarily Redick's infinite switch defense strategy, which greatly harmed Davis and the Lakers' overall rim protection. Secondly, since Finney-Smith joined the Lakers, their record has been 2 wins and 4 losses, with their defense declining.
In addition, in several consecutive games, LeBron's performance during the transition phases also sparked some controversy. Overall, with LeBron's age increasing and his physical energy limit being insufficient, it would trigger a series of problems for the team. Moreover, the Lakers had no plans to find a center to assist Davis. However, good news came that Vanderbilt could return as early as next week. On the Heat side, Butler had been suspended, and the team could not afford to tank because if they failed to make the playoffs this season, they would have to send their future two first-round picks to the Thunder and Hornets respectively. According to insider Amick, after this game against the Lakers, Butler would be released from his eight-game suspension, and he planned to report back to the Heat, but it was unclear whether he could play or not. This is because Butler explicitly stated his intention to leave and would not renew his contract with the Heat.
Returning to the game, the Lakers' starting lineup was Reeves, Christie, Hachimura, James, and Davis; while the Heat's starting lineup was Rozier, Herro, Hayesmith, Harkless, and Adebayo. At the beginning of the game, Davis turned around for a layup, Christie and Herro exchanged three-pointers, Adebayo singled out Davis, Rozier made a layup, and Hayesmith hit a three-pointer, with the Heat scoring from multiple points. Reeves successfully scored three points, Davis assisted James for a layup, and Hachimura hit a three-pointer to catch up with the score. However, Herro suddenly unleashed a barrage of three-pointers in the middle segment, and the Lakers relied on Hachimura to continuously chase points, with Davis stealing the ball and dunking in a fast break to take the lead! In the latter half of the period, Adebayo scored both inside and outside, Hayesmith dunked over Davis, and Davis responded with a three-pointer and a back-to-basket move to close the gap.
At the end of the quarter, the Heat's Burks and Herro continued to shoot three-pointers, and at the end of the first quarter, the Heat led the Lakers 38-34. The Lakers' defensive performance was poor, and it was evident that the players were somewhat dejected. Entering the second quarter, Laozhen (LeBron) took the lead with an anti-basket, followed by Reeves hitting a three-pointer. However, Jovic and Deng Luo continuously drew fouls, Well performed an alley-oop dunk, and Jovic's three-pointer was accurate, with the Heat opening an 11-point lead. James fed the ball to Hachimura, Vincent's three-pointer was like a timely rain, Reeves used a screen to score three points, and the Lakers gradually narrowed the gap. In the latter half of the period, Herro once again scored both inside and outside, forcing a timeout from the Lakers. LeBron ate Jovic, and Harkless responded with a three-pointer. At the end of the period, Davis vented his frustration with a dunk! At halftime, the Heat led the Lakers 66-54.
In the second half, the Lakers suddenly erupted, with Hachimura making a big step for a dunk, Christie receiving the ball and hitting a three-pointer, Davis easily scoring on a fast break layup, Harkless and Hayesmith scoring five points to stop the bleeding, Reeves and Laozhen continuing to rain down three-pointers, and the Lakers quickly closed the gap to just one point! In the middle of the period, Hayesmith trained Laozhen, receiving the ball and continuing to hit a three-pointer, Herro also fired from the outside, adding a极限后仰跳投 from the free throw line, and the Heat extended their lead to double digits once again. In the latter half of the period, Vincent scored a layup and Davis made mid-range jump shots to continue chasing points. James fed the ball to Davis for a continued layup, Herro stopped the bleeding with a jumper, and Laozhen fed Hayes for an alley-oop dunk! At the end of the third quarter, the Lakers chased to 83-85. In the decisive fourth quarter, Vincent hit a three-pointer and Hayes dunked to lead the team to a comeback.
Afterwards, Rozier and Burks continued to chase points, Vincent fearlessly continued to shoot jumpers against his former team, Christie hit a three-pointer and Hachimura made free throws to maintain the lead. In the last five minutes, Hachimura continued to shoot three-pointers, Davis turned around for a layup, Jovic responded with a three-pointer, and then James hit a three-pointer and a mid-range jumper to widen the gap. In the last two minutes, James continued to post up against Hayesmith, harvesting the game! Ultimately, the Lakers defeated the Heat 117-108, ending their three-game losing streak!
Heat stats: Herro 34 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists; Adebayo 10 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists; Hayesmith 12 points, 3 rebounds; Harkless 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists; Jovic 12 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists. Lakers stats: James 22 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists; Davis 22 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks; Christie 16 points, 3 rebounds; Reeves 14 points, 14 assists, 3 steals; Hachimura 23 points, 8 rebounds; Vincent 14 points, 4 assists.
