The Los Angeles Lakers put forth a hearty effort but ultimately fell short in South Beach. Considering the Miami Heat had only lost three games at home all season, the effort put forth LA’s shorthanded team was hardly worthy of criticism.
Jodie Meeks, who has been an underrated talent all season long, poured in 22 points in the loss. Pau Gasol added 22 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Gasol’s defense may be called into question as the 7-footer did not manage a single block in his 38 minutes on the floor, but the Spaniard’s lone turnover was an improvement that balanced out his reduced defensive presence.
As a team, the Lakers only committed 12 turnovers with Kendall Marshall guilty of a team-high three turnovers. However, the second-year point guard balanced his three turnovers with 11 assists.
Ultimately, the undermanned Lakers went into one of the toughest road arenas and battled until the final buzzer. There’s not much more to say about that. Swaggy P, known as Nick Young by the government, poured in another 19 points and battled on both ends.
Every Laker who stepped onto the floor scored at least six points, but ultimately, Chris Bosh had a special night. Bosh, who looks more like an alien than just about any other player in the NBA, attempted a game-high 22 shots and made a game-high 15 of them. Bosh made countless big buckets when his team needed them most. He finished with a game-high 31 points and was the primary antagonist against the Lakers.
Of course, LeBron James played his part. James finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five turnovers. Those five turnovers helped the Lakers’ cause as the Heat committed 18 turnovers and the Lakers scored 19 points off those giveaways.
Overall, the undermanned Lakers matched themselves against the world champion Miami Heat and came up inches short. The effort was nothing to be ashamed of, and the Lakers suffered a loss that they can walk away from with their heads held high.
After all, the Lakers are back in action on Friday against the Orlando Magic.
