Los Angeles Lakers (45-25) beat Miami Heat (38-32) 134-126 on the road on Thursday, March 19, after falling far behind. The Lakers were down 13 at one quarter break and still finished 8 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Heat struck first, taking the opening quarter 42-29 and a 13-point lead after one. The Lakers cut into the deficit with a 30-23 second quarter, though the Heat still led by 6 at halftime.
The Lakers won the third 38-23 to turn the game around, taking a 9-point lead into the fourth. The Heat took the fourth 38-37; the Lakers held on for a 134-126 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Lakers made 42 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 19.1 for the Heat. The Lakers got more from their shots, finishing at 61.7% effective field-goal shooting compared with 57.4% for the Heat. The points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
At roughly 101 possessions per team, the Lakers produced 133 points per 100 possessions to 125.1 for the Heat.
The Heat's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 30-18.
Who carried the comeback
Luka Doncic was the game's biggest individual force for LAL: 60 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl on 18-30 shooting. His Game Score of 51.8 led everyone. His team was +7 with him on the floor.
Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 28 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast on 9-19 shooting, good for a 22.1 Game Score.
Bam Adebayo (28 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast) and LeBron James (19 pts, 15 reb, 10 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 40% for the Lakers.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Los Angeles Lakers lead 2-1.
The Lakers are now 45-25, and the Heat are 38-32. The Lakers last five before this game: W-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.