Despite a close call and a comfortable 23-point lead in the final quarter, the home team dominated the visitors
On January 23, 2022, Miami Heat topped the Eastern Conference with 30 wins and 17 losses after a 113-107 victory against the LA Lakers in South Beach, who now stands at number 8 in the Western Conference with 23 wins and 24 losses.
Despite a belated fightback by the visitors that made the competition momentarily competitive midway through the final quarter, the home team dominated three-fourths of the game, with little to no resistance from the other team.
Know how the final scores unfolded by reliving the following highlight and lowlights of the Sunday showdown.
The Final Tally
Five players each from both teams clocked triple-doubles, with forwards LeBron James and Jimmy Butler leading the charts for Lakers and Heat, respectively.
For LA Lakers, the biggest contributor was forward LeBron James with 33 points, 4 assists, and 9 rebounds, followed by Russell Westbrook (24 points, 9 assists, and 9 rebounds), Avery Bradley (15 points, 1 assist, and 1 rebound), Malik Monk (7 points, 2 assists, and 1 rebound), and Talen Horton-Tucker (5 points, 3 assists, and 1 rebound).
For Miami Heat, the biggest contributor was forward Jimmy Butler with 20 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds, his 10th regular triple-double playing for the Heat, breaking LeBron James’ record of nine regular triple-doubles. Butler was followed by P. J. Tucker (8 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds), Bam Adebayo (14 points, 5 assists, and 8 rebounds), Duncan Robinson (25 points, 3 assists, and 5 rebounds), and Gabe Vincent (11 points, 6 assists, and 1 rebound).
The First Quarter
The Lakers looked out of sorts right out of the gate. Due to a lackluster defense during the first quarter, they were only able to score a measly 25 against Miami Heat, who remained squarely in the lead with 39 points, and well on their way to topping the season’s standings.
The Second Quarter
The Lakers, headed by James, put up a good fight in the second quarter, but Heat never let their guard down. They were on their guard every minute and ended the quarter with an unassailable lead of 30-27. At this stage, the visitors were trailing by 17 points and had clocked a score of 52 against the home team, which had 69 points in the bag.
The Third Quarter
The LA Lakers started playing with all they had halfway into the game, but the rival team wasn’t about to give up the lead without a fight. At 20-18, Heat won the third quarter, ending three-fourths of the game at 89-70 and a 19-point lead over the Lakers. At this stage, it looked like Heat was headed to a comfortable win over the Lakers, and win they did.
The Fourth Quarter
The Lakers came played the final quarter as they should’ve played the first quarter. Their entire last-minute fightback was reminiscent of Miami Heat during the first quarter. However, despite ending the quarter at 37-24 and chipping 13 points off the 19-point lead, Miami wasn’t ready to give away their lead, and the visitors would end up with a close but well-deserved defeat on their hands.
That was it from the Miami Heat vs. LA Lakers game last Sunday. For more recaps and updates about sports and non-sports-related events in Miami, check out Calle Ocho News. Know everything you can do while you’re in Miami, from tourist attractions to places to eat and more.
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