Lakers Clicking On All Cylinders in Miami Road Win

---

SteemSports Presenter:@mateonav53

---

SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets

---

The Heat looked dope in their pink Miami Vice jersey's, but they couldn't overcome the streaking Lakeshow who prevailed 131-111. Six Lakers finished in double figures but Julius Randle (25 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists) and Isaiah Thomas (29 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists) were the standout players. The Lakers won their fourth in a row and they snapped the Heat's two-game winning streak.

---

LA came out of the gate making a statement off a Lonzo steal which led to a transition bucket by KCP. They continued their hot play going on an 8-0 run out of the gate. It was inspired by some attentive defense and Julius Randle flexing his muscle at the rim. He went 5-6 with 11 points in the first 5 minutes. Goran Dragic and the Heat slowly chipped away at the 13 point Laker lead, whittling it down to 6. Luke Walton had to take a timeout to regroup. Things didn't get any better for the lakers out of the break and the Heat eventually tied it 22-22. The Lakers traded buckets and the quarter ended with the Heat up by three, 33-36.

---

---

Isaiah Thomas came into the second looking to get buckets and make plays. He drained a three and took control of the offense, leading to a Randle alley-oop. The Lakeshow went up 11, 49-38 when Miami stopped the action to stratigise. One notable highlight of the second quarter was when Wade posted up resident Big Baller Lonzo Ball on the baseline and threw it up behind the corner of the backboard...and freaking sunk it! Lonzo's defense wasn't even half bad, but stellar offensive play usually beats out excellent defense in the NBA. With about 5 minutes remaining, the Heat started nailing three's to crawl closer to a draw. Several Laker players took a bite out of the Heat, but Julius Randle was the one feasted with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists on 8/12 shooting in only two quarters. LA was up 73-62 heading into the locker room. Lots of points given up on both sides.

---

The third quarter was another back and forth affair at the start. The Lakers maintained a 10-14 point lead throughout the first 6 minutes and most of the period. Justice Winslow, Goran Dragic, and Dwayne Wade were the only ones making things happen for the Heat, but the team's turnovers prevented them from closing the gap. The Heat crowd starting making a lot of noise in the last minute It was an attempt to will their team to make something happen, but Isaiah Thomas drowned out their hopes with an uncontested three. Brandon Ingram's solid play kept the ship afloat for LA, who were leading 104-94 at the quarter's end.

---

Isaiah Thomas facilitated the Laker offense and scored 11 points in the first 3 minutes of the fourth to try and put this game to bed. He was playing like he submitted his application for the Lakers "Mr. 4th Quarter" and he hadn't gotten a response yet. The Lakers went up by about 20 and morale was fading for the Heat players and crowd. The rest of the quarter was uneventful as the Lakers went on cruise control to a 131-113 road win.

---

---

Whiteside didn't get a lot of time this game, thanks to the Lakers keeping the pace too high for him to be effective. Dwayne Wade ended up having a nice game with 25 points, but some of those points came in garbage time. Goran Dragic (19 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists) and Justice Winslow (17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists) were the other players that had nice games for the Heat. They really needed to win this home game because the Pistons are two and a half games back and breathing down their neck. Coincidentally, their next game is with Detroit this Saturday so they'll have a chance to strengthen their 8 seed lead.

---

Lonzo Ball didn't score a lot of points, but he continues to show his doubters he can put his hands on every other aspect of the game. He finished with 8 points (including two 3 pointers), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and an incredible 6 steals. He's only 20 and years away from his prime, he's definitely got time to fix his shot and become an excellent player in this league. How well he can shoot will be a major factor in determining how big he can get since he's already filling the stat sheet in other areas. As the young Lakers show an improved understand out the NBA game, their fans are growing more optimistic each day. Their progress will be put to the test against the Spurs in San Antonio on Saturday, March 3rd at 6:00 PM PST/ 9 PM EST.

---

Thank you for following @steemsports and you can find me @mateonav53

---

---

---