On the second night of a back to back, the Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Miami Heat at the AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Lakers played Tuesday night against the playoff hopefuls Charlotte Hornets in a game that was decided in the final minute of regulation. The Lakers battled hard, as they have since the All-Star break but were unable to come out on top.
Jeremy Lin led the team with a game-high 23 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and two steals on 9 of 16 shooting off the pine. Jordan Clarkson continued his impressive play with 19 points and four assists.
Lin has averaged 18.0 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals on 51.3 percent shooting in six games coming out of the All-Star break. This type of consistency is what the Lakers were looking for earlier in the season from him.
The Miami Heat, just like the Hornets, are also a team desperately fighting for a playoff position out East. They are currently a half-game ahead of the Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets at the seventh seed. Their last game came against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, a game that saw six technical fouls, three ejections, and two flagrant fouls.
The Heat was eventually able to knock off the Suns, 115-98, led by rookie Tyler Johnson who scored a career-high 26 points on an incredible 10 of 13 shooting from the field. Goran Dragic put in 21 points in only 15 minutes of play against his former team, as he was dealing with foul trouble throughout the night.
Hassan Whiteside added 17 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks before being ejected late in the third period after getting into an altercation with Phoenix’s big man Alex Len. Whiteside was shoved by Len after putting in a two handed slam over him. He immediately attacked Len by grabbing his legs and tackling him down. The two were ejected from the game and fined on Tuesday afternoon. Whiteside was hit with a $15,000 fine, while Len was hit with $20,000. Luckily, none of them were suspended.
Whiteside has been a gem for the Miami Heat, as he is the biggest free agent pickup made by any team this season. Over the past 15 games, he has averaged 14.8 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks. He has been a major force with his shot blocking and elite rebounding. Whiteside has been most important to Miami’s playoff push.
In the first meeting of the season on January 23 between the Lakers and Heat, the two teams squared off in a low scoring affair which Miami won, 78-75. Kobe Bryant and Chris Bosh were both present for that game but will not be available for Wednesday night’s matchup since both are out with season-ending injuries. In the January meeting, Bryant had a chance to tie the game with a three-point basket with a second left on the clock but missed.
A lot has changed for the Heat since that game. They have traded multiple players and signed a handful of others through the free agent market. Most notably the Heat acquired Goran Dragic before the trade deadline, and the 27-year-old point guard has provided more play making and efficient scoring. Miami has gone 3-3 since adding Dragic via trade.
Miami has also most recently signed Henry Walker and Michael Beasley to 10-day contracts. Both have supplied the team with energy and scoring off the bench.
The Miami Heat have thoroughly dominated the Lakers over the past few seasons, beating them nine out of the last 10 outings, including a current five-game winning streak.
The Lakers enter Florida with a horrid 7-23 away record, while the Heat owns a below average 11-17 home record.
The game tips off at 8 pm Eastern Standard Time.