Featured Stories | Miami Heat

By Stephen Diener |

NBA: History Shows The Heat Have a Mixed Chance Against the Lakers

APTOPIX NBA Finals Heat Lakers Basketball
Miami Heat forward Kelly Olynyk (9) and Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) compete for control of a rebound during the second half of Game 2 of basketball’s NBA Finals, Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Can the Heat “bounce back” from Friday’s Game 2 fail against the Lakers when they meet again Sunday night?

The NBA seems to think they have a 50/50 chance, apparently.

Here’s what the league is considering in its assessment, according to its own site:

First, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic will still likely remain sidelined to deal with recent injuries. Add to that mix Gabe Vincent, who could also skip Sunday’s game due to soreness in his right knee.

Additionally, the NBA explains that the Heat have shown resilience in the past, including when they bounced back to win the 2006 series 4-2 against Dallas, even though they started out losing the first two games.

Also, Miami doesn’t do shabbily in their shooting averages. The league says that’s one thing they certainly proved during Friday’s game, shooting 50.7 percent (or 36 out of 71) from the field, as well as 40.7 percent (or 11 out of 27) from the three-point range, and a whopping 91.2 percent (31 out of 34) from the foul lines.

On the other hand, the Heat lost to the Lakers twice during this past regular season, and they’re on the wrong end against LA in all-time, going just 27-37.

With all of this in mind, can Miami reverse Friday’s 124-114 loss?

We’ll know soon enough!