NBA: Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler help Heat hold off Lakers
Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat reacts after making a basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the third quarter of the game at Kaseya Center on November 06, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Megan Briggs/Getty Images/AFP
MIAMI — Bam Adebayo had the first 20-rebound triple-double in Miami history, Jimmy Butler scored 28 points and the Heat survived a big offensive drought at the end to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 108-107 on Monday night.
Adebayo had 22 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists for Miami in what became his sixth regular-season triple-double. Tyler Herro also scored 22 points for the Heat, and Duncan Robinson added 12.
LeBron James led all scorers with 30 points for the Lakers, who fell to 0-4 on the road. Austin Reaves was an assist shy of a triple-double, finishing with 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The Lakers didn’t have Anthony Davis for the final 14 minutes; he left the game twice with a left hip spasm and finished with nine points and six rebounds.
BAM DROPPED A 20 PTS, 20 REB TRIPLE-DOUBLE 🔥
22 PTS
20 REB
10 AST
WThe first in @MiamiHEAT history. pic.twitter.com/LuiiDiLlS4
— NBA (@NBA) November 7, 2023
Adebayo was called for traveling with 8.9 seconds remaining, giving the Lakers a final chance. The inbounds pass went to James, who drove right, attracted defenders and found a wide-open Cam Reddish for what would have been a game-winning corner jumper.
It bounced off the rim, Butler secured the rebound and time expired. Neither team scored in the final 2:39, the Heat didn’t have a field goal in the final 4:15 — and won anyway, by getting stop after stop at the end. Among them: Kyle Lowry taking a charge against James with 1:57 left, with the listed difference in height and weight among those players being nine inches and 55 pounds.
D’Angelo Russell got ejected with 7:52 left for picking up a pair of technical fouls for arguing, and the free throws by Herro put the Heat up 100-88 — just 32 seconds after the Lakers had a chance to get within three points.
Taurean Prince missed a 3-pointer that would have cut Miami’s six-point lead in half, and the game quickly changed. Jaime Jaquez Jr. had a layup, then Russell had a turnover, and Jaquez Jr. had another layup. Adebayo had assists on both of those scores by Jaquez, giving him the triple-double, and Russell was ejected for arguing after the second basket.
The Lakers started Monday night with five players — Rui Hachimura (concussion), Gabe Vincent (knee), Jaxson Hayes (ankle), Jarred Vanderbilt (heel) and Jalen Hood-Schifino (knee) — all out with injuries.
