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Miami Heat (19-14) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (17-17)
The 2023-24 NBA season goes on Wednesday, January 3, with the Miami Heat taking on the Los Angeles Lakers in the cross-conference showdown at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, with the tip-off at 10:00 PM ET.
Miami and Los Angeles wrap up their two-game regular-season series. Back in November, the Heat edged the Lakers 108-107 as 1.5-point home favorites.
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The Miami Heat (19-14; 15-18 ATS) finished the previous calendar year with a surprising 117-109 defeat at the Utah Jazz that put an end to their four-game winning streak. Last Monday, the Heat remained on the losing track, suffering a 121-104 defeat at the Los Angeles Clippers.
Miami blew a 14-point lead in LA. The Heat scored just 46 points in the second half and finished the game with a 42.2 field goal percentage. Bam Adebayo led the way for Miami with a double-double of 21 points and 15 rebounds, Kevin Love had 17 points, four boards, and two blocks, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Duncan Robinson accounted for 15 points apiece.
“Defensively we can be better,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We struggled again in 1-on-1 situations.”
Jimmy Butler sat out the Clippers’ game due to a foot injury and is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s clash against the Lakers. Butler, who’s averaging 21.0 points on the season, has appeared in just one of Miami’s last six games.
The Heat are the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. They score 115.9 points per 100 possessions (16th in the NBA) while allowing 114.8 points in return (13th). Tyler Herro is their leading scorer with 23.4 points per game, and Bam Adebayo is posting 22.0 points and 10.4 rebounds a night.
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