Winners of two out of their last three, the Lakers were looking to sneak out of Miami with a win against the Heat. The two teams who met in the NBA Finals were meeting for the second time this season. Jimmy Butler and the Heat got off to a fast start in the first quarter, shooting 18 free throws in the process.
The Lakers became the aggressors in the second quarter, shooting 14 total free throws. With so many players missing for the Lakers, they needed to find their offensive production from an unlikely source. Also, this game was the first time Andre Drummond was able to get extended minutes after leaving early with a toenail issue in his debut.
The second half started and the Lakers were obviously were not aware. They were able to get as close as 1-2 points, but could never do enough to take the lead.
Ultimately, the Lakers weren’t able to take care of the rock and lost the game 110-104. While they were competitive, head coach Frank Vogel must be frustrated knowing this was a very winnable game.
Player of the game – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Caldwell-Pope took all of his talents to South Beach and finished with 28 points and four rebounds. The Georgia Bulldog shot excellent from beyond the arc, making 60% of his 10 attempts. While the Lakers lost the game, it was nice to see KCP hit some clutch shots and be aggressive offensively.
Stat of the game – 22 Turnovers
Turnovers cost the Lakers the game today. It’s as simple as that. Granted, the Lakers didn’t have Kyle Kuzma and Talen Horton-Tucker, but they were still competitive throughout the game. However, turnovers were the difference.
The Heat scored 33 points off those turnovers and that is how the game got away from the Lakers. They had a chance to take over this game, but when you don’t take care of the ball this is what you can expect.
Quote of the night – “Anthony Davis has three, and Kuz had 0. Those are my two favorite numbers, so I picked the middle.”
Andre Drummond, on why he picked No. 2.
“Anthony Davis has three, and Kuz had 0. Those are my two favorite numbers, so I picked the middle.”
— TV’s Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) April 9, 2021
Andre Drummond spoke to the media after the game and according to Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen and Roll, he picked 2 because AD and Kuz had the numbers he wanted. Now, while this has nothing to do with the game, it was interesting to see Drummon’s reasoning for picking the number two. The last player to wear 2 was Lonzo Ball, who will be a free agent this summer.
What’s next?
The wounded Lakers now head to Brooklynn to take on the Nets. While they will be without James Harden, they did get Kevin Durant back. It’s going to be an uphill battle on Saturday evening in a nationally televised game.
