9:10 pm
October 2

Heat v. Lakers

Who will WIN this matchup?

Miami Heat

Los Angeles Lakers

 

Current odds:

Miami Heat: (+450)

Los Angeles Lakers: (-600)

 

• The line for this game is Lakers by 10 points.

• Goran Dragic (foot) ruled out Friday.
• Bam Adebayo (neck) ruled out Friday.

• Despite a dominating performance in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers are far from content as they head into Game 2 on Friday. “We’ve got so much more work to do,” said LeBron James, who had 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists in the Lakers’ 116-98 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday near Orlando. “The job is not done, and we’re not satisfied with winning one game. It’s that simple.” Anthony Davis had 34 points on 11-of-21 shooting in the first NBA Finals of his eight-year career. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 13 points, Danny Green chipped in 11 and Alex Caruso contributed 10 for Los Angeles, which led by as much as 32 at one point.

• Without them, particularly Adebayo inside, the Lakers controlled the glass and outrebounded the Heat 54-36. Los Angeles also went to the line more, hitting 25 of 27 attempts to 11 of 14 for Miami. Davis was 10-for-10.

• Jimmy Butler had 23 points while Kendrick Nunn delivered 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting off the bench for the Heat. Tyler Herro finished with 14 points but converted just 6-of-18 shots and 2-of-8 3-pointers. Jae Crowder added 12 points but rookie guard Duncan Robinson, who averaged 12.5 points in the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics, didn’t score in 27 minutes.

• The Lakers performed well on both ends. After trailing by 13 in the first quarter, the Lakers blitzed the Heat with a 77-32 swing from midway through the second quarter to the middle of the third after a Davis dunk put them up 87-55. “I don’t think at the beginning that we were physical enough,” James said. “You actually have to get a feel for how hard Miami plays. I think they smacked us in the mouth, and we got a sense of that.”

7/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Los Angeles Lakers
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