After losing eight of their last 11 games, the Los Angeles Lakers returned home for the start of 2024, and they hoped that a home-heavy schedule in January would be the elixir for their poor play.
They started that home-heavy stretch by facing a Miami Heat team that was without leading scorer Jimmy Butler. One may have thought that was a big advantage for L.A.
Instead, the Lakers came out looking discombobulated. They were sluggish offensively early. They committed 10 turnovers, shot just 33.3% and scored only 18 points in the first quarter. The Heat weren’t that much better, but they led by as many as 11 in the opening period and their zone defense had L.A. confused and unsure how to operate or attack. Miami led 53-45 at halftime.
The Lakers slowly clawed their way into the contest in the third quarter. They came within three points late in the period, only to fall behind again by double digits early in the fourth period. From there, the Heat kept them in check and handed them a 110-96 defeat.
Miami didn’t play very well itself. It was outrebounded by 15, outscored by 18 in the paint and had seven fewer free-throw attempts. However, the Lakers were their own worst enemy. They committed 21 turnovers, were outscored by seven in fast-break points and shot 4-of-30 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, the Heat shot 16-of-42 from downtown, meaning the Purple and Gold were outscored by a humiliating 36 points in that department alone.
In the end, L.A. collectively lacked energy and intensity, and Miami’s zone defense made the Lakers’ offense as slow as molasses.