LeBron James finally broke his 3-point shooting slump, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Los Angeles Lakers from suffering another blowout loss on Wednesday night. The Miami Heat dominated the Lakers, securing a 134-93 victory at the Kaseya Center, reported by Miami Herald.
Tyler Herro was the star of the night for the Heat, delivering an explosive third-quarter performance that helped Miami outscore the Lakers by 16 points in the period alone. Herro hit seven 3-pointers in the third, tying a Heat franchise record, and finished the game with 31 points. His sharpshooting was crucial in Miami’s dominant win, as they held the Lakers to just 20 points in the third quarter while Herro alone scored 21 points during that stretch.
The Heat led most of the game, entering halftime with a comfortable 17-point lead. They never looked back, with Herro’s hot hand extending the margin in the second half. One of his most memorable shots came over Anthony Davis from the Kaseya Center logo, part of a 9-0 run that stretched the lead even further.
Herro’s performance was complemented by Jimmy Butler, who added 17 points and nine rebounds, and Bam Adebayo, who recorded 14 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. The Heat, now 10-10 on the season, ended a two-game losing streak with this commanding win.
For the Lakers, who have now lost six of their last eight games, it was another tough night. The team sits at 12-10 and has been outscored by a combined 70 points in their last two losses. Lakers coach J.J. Redick expressed frustration after the game, saying, “I’m embarrassed. We’re all embarrassed. It’s not a game where we had the right fight, the right professionalism… There has to be some ownership… I own this but there’s going to have to be some ownership on the court”, reported by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Despite the team’s struggles, there was a small positive for the Lakers: LeBron James ended his 3-point shooting drought. After missing 20 straight 3-pointers over the past five games, James finally made a shot from beyond the arc early in the third quarter. His only 3-pointer of the night was a historic one, as it moved him past Kyle Korver into seventh place on the NBA’s all-time 3-point list.
James finished with a team-high 29 points, eight assists, and five rebounds in the loss. However, the Lakers shot just 23% from behind the arc as a team. They’ll look to bounce back on Friday when they face the Atlanta Hawks to wrap up their four-game road trip.