Despite three starters in Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Lonnie Walker IV, the Lakers managed to defeat the Heat in a narrow battle (112-109).
Dennis Schroder (32 points), Thomas Bryant (21 points, 9 rebounds) and Russell Westbrook (21 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists) carried the load for the winners.
After the game Lakers head coach Darvin Ham talked about how his team was able to rally together and get the third victory. in a row
“I told the team before the game the only mistake they can make is to not be competitive and not be together,” Ham said after the game. “You do those two things you can live with the results whether it’s a W or L.
“As long as we’re competitive and as long as we’re together and aggressive – that’s the third word I use. And they did just that. We made a run, they made a run back at us, game went topsy turvy there for a little while, but we stayed the course, we stayed solid and we had multiple big plays from multiple players whether it’s getting a defensive stop, getting a big rebound, making an extra pass, big finish, big and one, big shots.
“It was a total team effort and to do that without four of our main pieces. Bron, AD, Lonnie, you have Troy who gets kneed in a thigh and is not able to finish the game.
“Everybody just banded together and continued to fight and that’s what we have to be about. That’s what our identity has to be night in and night out. Not just sometimes, not just when we’re feeling good about ourselves. No matter what happens, we have to play that way every night.”
