- LA Lakers defeated the Miami Heat last night, 102-96.
- Anthony Davis’ three-pointer solved the game.
- Jimmy Butler was superb once again, but his team lost.
- Only LeBron and the Cavs in 2016 managed to get back from a 1-3 deficit.
Davis, James Lead the Lakers Again
With 35.9 seconds to go, Anthony Davis made a clutch basket from behind the arc, moving his Lakers to 100-91. It was the moment when LAL finally broke Miami’s resistance.
“Big-time play. Big-time moment” said, Lebron James. “Not only for A.D. but for our ballclub and for our franchise.”
Throughout the entire contest, the Lakers had trouble getting away from the Heat. Frank Vogel’s side was up most of the time, but Miami didn’t allow them to create a double-digit gap. The tension was constant, and neither of the teams could seize the momentum, yet eventually, the LAL got on top.
Davis had 22 points, nine boards, and four assists and blocks each, in 42 minutes on the court. LeBron James had a superb game, once again filling all the stats columns. LBJ scored 28 points, had 12 boards and eight assists.
James texted all his teammates before Tuesday’s game, calling for the utmost attention, as this was their most important game of the year.
“I felt that vibe. I felt that pressure,” he said.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 15 points, Danny Green 10, and Kyle Kuzma and Markieff Morris 9 each.
The Heat Couldn’t Do It
Miami gave its best in this match, but couldn’t win. They had a few chances to turn the game upside down, but each time the Lakers responded well and cut the Heat at the very beginning of their surge.
Jimmy Butler was good as always, but not as efficient as in the previous match. He had 22 points, 10 boards and nine assists, with three steals. The Heat superstar admitted that the Lakers deserved to win this match.
“Like I always say, they’re a really, really, really good team, and we’ve got to play damn near perfect to beat them,” Butler said.
Tyler Herro delivered 21 points, and had 7 rebounds, shooting 8-for-18 from the field, while Duncan Robinson had 17 buckets. The two combined 6-for-13 from downtown.
Bam Adebayo was back in the starting lineup, scoring 15 points in 33 minutes, with seven boards and 6-for-8 from the field.
Miami Hoping for a Miracle
There is only one situation in the league’s history where a team managed to come back from being down 1-3 and win the title. And LeBron played in that team. It was in 2016, when Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Golden State Warriors 4-3, after that epic Game 7 in which LBJ’s block on Andre Iguodala, changed everything.
The odds are not favoring the Heat in Game 5, but the one thing that might help increase their prospects to win that contest is Goran Dragic’s return. It seems that Drago’s chances of getting back on the court are pretty good, which encourages the Heat fanbase.
Game 5 is this Friday.
