Lakers at Heat: Short-handed Lakers fall in Miami

The Lakers were already facing a difficult road trip without LeBron James or Anthony Davis available. but coach Frank Vogel had to change his rotations even further with Kyle Kuzma out due to injury and Talen Horton-Tucker serving a one-game suspension for leaving the bench during a scuffle in the Raptors game.

Despite the circumstances, the Lakers still kept Thursday’s game close throughout the second half and only trailed by five points with three minutes remaining. Duncan Robinson hit a key 3-pointer to extend the gap, and on the next possession Markieff Morris was ejected on a double-technical for arguing a non-call with an official. The Heat held on to win, 110-104.

Free-throw disparity and an abundance of turnovers made the difference in what was a winnable game for the defending champions. The Heat lived at the free-throw line in the first quarter, and had 40 attempts for the game to the Lakers’ 25. Los Angeles also committed 22 turnovers, with Dennis Schroder committing a game-high seven.

The Lakers will return to the court on Saturday night in Brooklyn for a nationally televised game against the Nets (5:30 PT, ABC).