- Lakers sent a statement to Miami right away, beating the Eastern Conference champions routinely.
- The Heat opened the match better but later lost the pace.
- Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo both suffered injuries.
Lakers Furious After Pale Start
The Heat had a 23-10 lead with 5:38 until the end of the first period, following Jae Crowder’s three-pointer. After that, we saw a 21-5 run of the LAL, who quickly seized the control of the tempo, hurting the rivals mostly from downtown. After the poor start, Frank Vogel’s boys had a hot streak until the end of the first half, in which they scored nine threes in 11 attempts.
“I don’t think in the beginning that we were physical enough,” said LeBron James. “You have to get a feel for how hard Miami plays. I think they smacked us in the mouth, and we got a sense of that.”
Lakers continued to fire on all cylinders and after Anthony Davis’ dunk midway through the third, they got away to 87-55, which was their maximal lead in this event. AD was the boss on the court with 34 points, nine boards, and five assists.
“He’s been preparing for this moment all season,” LBJ stated about Davis.
Meanwhile, LeBron was on the verge of recording one more triple-double in these playoffs but was short for one assist. King James dropped 25 buckers, had 13 boards beside, and harassed his former team.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope dropped 13 with two steals, Danny Green 11 with four boards and two steals too, while Alex Caruso scored 10.
The Lakers missed only two of their 27 free throws, while Miami went 11-for-14. They would also use the fact that Bam Adebayo had two early fouls and exploited that advantage under the rim, posting 22 rebounds more than the Heat, 62-40.
Miami’s Injury Struggles
Goran Dragic left the floor in the second period due to a foot injury. It would later turn out that he hurt his plantar fascia and might even miss the remainder of the series. Having in mind Dragic’s contribution on the court, this would be a colossal blow for Erik Spoelstra and his team.
But to make it even worse, Bam Adebayo aggravated his shoulder injury. The guy who controls the paint for the Heat and is one of the best big players in the league had to leave the game to search for medical help. The X-rays came negative per the latest sources, but it is obvious that he too won’t be 100% fit for the upcoming games.
Jimmy Butler had a nasty moment in the second once he rolled his ankle, yet fortunately, everything was ok with the feisty forward. He ended up with a team-high 23 points and five assists.
Kendrick Nunn jumped in to replace Dragic, and the rookie played very well, delivering 18 points in 20 minutes. Just to remind, Nunn started the season superbly and was one of the Rookie of the Year award candidates. As time went by, other players slowly took over his minutes.
“When your number is called, you need to be ready to play,” Nunn said. “I haven’t played in a couple of games, but that doesn’t mean anything. Once I step on the floor, I’m back at it like I’ve been playing.”
Tyler Herro had 14 points, and Jae Crowder 12.
Game 2 is this Friday.
