Wednesday’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the host Miami Heat appears to be a marquee matchup, but the NBA standings suggest otherwise.
Both teams have struggled to sustain momentum in the season’s early weeks, with the Lakers entering at 12-9 and the Heat coming in at 9-10. Each squad sits in a fringe playoff position: Los Angeles is eighth in the Western Conference, and Miami is seventh in the East.
“We’ve been good at times, and we’ve been poor at times,” Lakers star LeBron James said. “But that’s what to expect with a new system, new coaching staff, new players. … We’re trying to work in new things.
“I wouldn’t say, ‘I’ll take it.’ I never want to say that. But that’s our record, and we have to continue to get better on both sides of the floor.”
James leads Los Angeles in assists per game (9.1) and ranks second in scoring (22.0) and rebounding (8.0). He turns 40 on Dec. 30 but is determined to play in all 82 regular-season games. The 22nd-year veteran last accomplished the feat during the 2017-18 season, when he finished up his second stint with Cleveland.
Anthony Davis has shined for the Lakers, leading the team in scoring (27.8), rebounding (11.5), blocks (2.0) and steals (1.2). Austin Reaves chips in 16.7 points and 4.8 assists per game, while D’Angelo Russell has added 12.5 points, 4.9 assists.
Russell returned to the starting lineup and led Los Angeles with 20 points in Monday’s 109-80 loss at Minnesota.
The Lakers’ top 3-point shooters include Rui Hachimura (43.1 percent) and rookie first-round pick Dalton Knecht (41.0 percent).
Los Angeles has lost five of its last seven games, while Miami has dropped two straight and three of its last five. The Heat have never been more than two games below or one game above .500 this season.
Miami, which is just 4-4 at home, may be without star forward Jimmy Butler, who missed Monday’s 109-89 loss at Boston due to a knee injury. Butler, who is questionable for Wednesday with right knee soreness, has missed five of the Heat’s 19 games this season. He ranks second on the team in scoring (18.9) and third in assists (4.8).
Tyler Herro paces Miami with 23.7 points per game and shares the team lead in assists with Bam Adebayo (4.9).
Adebayo leads the Heat in rebounding (9.8) but is averaging just 15.6 points per game as his scoring continues to regress. He tallied 19.3 points per game last season after averaging 20.4 the year before.
Miami remains confident in its captain, however.
“I don’t think he’s struggling,” Herro said of Adebayo. “He is playing a great brand of basketball. He is impacting the game on the defensive end.
“Bam gets his looks, and he’s going to make shots. We know what he’s capable of.”
Added Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.: “We’re not going to be who we need to be without Bam.”
Los Angeles and Miami have an intriguing history together. The Lakers defeated the Heat in the COVID-affected 2020 NBA Finals, and Heat president Pat Riley is a former Lakers player and coach.
Meanwhile, Miami has not won an NBA title since James left in the summer of 2014 after he led the Heat to two championships in four years.
