Lakers at Heat
THE STORY: The NBA’s two top scorers will go head-to-head when the Los Angeles Lakers travel to South Florida to take on the Miami Heat on Thursday. Despite a ligament issue in his right wrist, Kobe Bryant is averaging a league-best 30.8 points per game. In fact, some would argue that the 33-year-old hasn’t been better. Bryant has scored 40 or more points in four of his last five games, but South Beach hasn’t been kind to the Lakers as of late. They’ve lost six of their last seven visits to Miami and are looking to avoid a fourth straight loss to the Heat. LeBron James has been a Laker killer as of late. Not only is his 29.8 points per game second-best in the league, but he’s 9-2 in his last 11 meetings with L.A.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE LAKERS (10-5): With the game tied at 70 apiece and 9.9 seconds remaining, the Lakers inbounded the ball to Kobe Bryant who, after being double-teamed at the top of the arc, found Derek Fisher for the game-winning three-point field goal with 3.1 seconds to give Los Angeles a 73-70 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. The Lakers sputtered in the third quarter with just seven points, the franchise’s second-lowest scoring quarter in the NBA’s shot clock era.
ABOUT THE HEAT (9-4): The Heat exploded to score a season-high 71 points in the second half of a 120-98 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. James led the way scoring 17 points in the third quarter, en route to 31 in the game. It's a safe bet bet James will be determined to continue his recent success when he squares off against his former coach, Mike Brown. One of the biggest concerns right now for Miami is the health of Dwyane Wade. The point guard sat out Tuesday’s game and is day-to-day with a sprained right ankle.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Heat are averaging a league-high 107.2 points per game.
2. The Lakers have played 10 of their first 15 games at home and are just 1-4 on the road this season.
3. The Lakers lead the all-time series 29-17.