The Los Angeles Lakers looked to shake off a dispirited 120-101 loss to the Orland Magic on Saturday when they visited the Miami Heat on Monday.
Early, it looked like a very winnable game for them. They didn’t trail at the end of the first quarter for the first time this season, and although they weren’t winning the rebounding battle, they were at least doing a better job on their defensive backboards.
But Los Angeles suffered a big blow when Anthony Davis left the game just before halftime with hip spasms. He tried playing on the ailment in two quick appearances in the third quarter, but he was unable to stay on the court without significant discomfort. He didn’t play again after exiting with 1:41 left in the period.
Without him, the Lakers fell behind by 13, staged a comeback and drew within one point with 2:39 remaining in the game. But neither team scored again, as the Lakers settled for questionable outside shots and lost 108-107.
Once again, they lost the rebounding battle down the stretch and were outrebounded, 44-38, for the game. However, they limited Miami to 13 second-chance points, and they outscored Miami, 64-48, in the paint and in fast-break points (19-9), evidence their effort and intensity were better this time around.
They have fallen under .500 again, and they take their 3-4 record into Texas for a game against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.