Lakers survive past Heat in OT.
The Lakers found a way to survive their second straight overtime game, defeating the Miami Heat 120–117 to move their season record to 7–5. On a night where the Lakers had six players in double-figures and 33 lead changes, the Lakers found a way to outlast a good Miami Heat team without crucial players like LeBron James.
The Lakers' huge success comes from the field, shooting nearly 50% from beyond the arc, going 18 for 38 (47%) and 50% from the field on 46 to 92 overall. Head coach Frank Vogel spoke on the adversity of the Lakers team as of late, expressing:
"This group is going to be all right. It's a little bumpy early, but we believe we're going to do special things this year. So it was a great response in the last two games."
With LeBron James out (abdominal strain), Anthony Davis has expressed just how much of a leader he needs to be to help the Lakers succeed. Davis was one of three Lakers who scored over 20 points in tonight's win, scoring 24 points on 10 of 23 shooting from the floor while adding 13 rebounds to give him his 7th double-double of the season.
After finishing with a triple-double in Monday's win over the Hornets, Russell Westbrook had himself a stellar night, recording another triple-double (3rd this season) in tonight's win over the Heat with a stat line of 25 points, 14 assists, and 12 rebounds. Westbrook finished the night shooting 3 for 7 from deep and 10 for 22 overall from the field, with a plus/minus of +10. Russ spoke on how much better the Lakers have played since their loss to the Blazers last Saturday, saying:
"We BS'd the game in Portland. We all know it. Since then, we've known what it takes to win. We like our chances when we're playing with high energy."
The night's biggest story came from the Lakers bench, not Carmelo Anthony but from Malik Monk, who helped propel the Lakers in tonight's victory. In 34 minutes off the bench, Malik Monk scored a season-high 27 points on 4 for 7 shooting from three and 10 for 13 overall from the floor. The 23-year-old is the second-lowest paid player on the Lakers roster, showing how great a bargain he has been with an erupting performance like tonight. Anthony Davis compared Monk to an NBA great Vinny Johnson, calling him Johnson's nickname "microwave."
"Bron said it before, I've said it… We call him Microwave. Instant scorer. We still don't know how we got him for what we got him for. He can play."
The Lakers' next matchup will be this Friday against the 3–7 Minnesota Timberwolves, who are coming off a huge loss to the hot Golden State Warriors. Look for the Timberwolves to come out fast against the short-handed Lakers to get back on the win column.