{"id":8214,"date":"2026-03-19T11:32:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T11:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/friscotimes.org\/?p=8214"},"modified":"2026-03-21T10:44:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T10:44:05","slug":"lakers-bring-star-power-winning-streak-into-game-against-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/friscotimes.org\/?p=8214","title":{"rendered":"Lakers bring star power, winning streak into game against Heat"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

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Mar 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Luka Doncic (77) in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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Luka Doncic and LeBron James are headed to Miami as the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Heat on Thursday night.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Doncic leads the NBA in scoring (33.0 points) and ranks third in assists (8.5).<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, is set to return to Miami, where he led the Heat to four straight Eastern Conference titles (2011-14) and a pair of NBA championships.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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The Lakers (44-25) have won seven straight games, including five contests against teams currently in playoff position. Doncic and James combined for 70 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists in Los Angeles’ 124-116 win over Houston on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Meanwhile, the Heat (38-31) are 1-2 since Bam Adebayo pumped in a franchise-record 83 points, breaking a mark that had been held by James.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Adebayo missed Miami’s most recent game due to tightness in his right calf, and he is listed as day-to-day going into the game with the Lakers.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Fellow Heat starter Andrew Wiggins (toe injury) also is listed day-to-day.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Adebayo leads Miami in starts (60) followed by Davion Mitchell (58), Wiggins (57) and Norman Powell (50).<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Second-year player Pelle Larsson is — perhaps surprisingly — fifth on that list with 45 starts.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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After all, Larsson — a second-round pick in 2024 — made just eight starts as a rookie.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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“He’s gaining more trust and confidence,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Larsson. “He’s been reliable since Day One, but he made a big jump in the final six weeks of last season. That propelled him to having a great summer and training camp and right into this season.”<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

<\/p>\n

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Indeed, Larsson’s scoring average has more than doubled from last season (4.6) to the current campaign (10.8). His effective field-goal percentage, which accounts for the value of a 3-point shot, has improved from 51.7 to 55.1, and his rebound average has doubled to 3.4. His assists are also up, from 1.2 to 3.3.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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All of that is important because Tyler Herro, who was a first-time All-Star last season, has missed 47 games in the current campaign.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Herro’s scoring average of 21.4 is second-best on the Heat. Larsson, though, brings a different energy, more likely to draw a charge as opposed to hitting a 3-pointer.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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The Lakers have won their two most recent games against the Heat, although both of those contests were in Los Angeles. When the teams last played in Miami — on Dec. 4, 2024 — the Heat prevailed, 134-93.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Then again, at that date, the Lakers had not yet acquired Doncic, who arrived in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, 2025.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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In 13 career games against the Heat, Doncic is averaging 25.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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James, 41, still is performing at a high level, averaging 21.4 points, 6.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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As for playing on consecutive nights, James said: “You can’t harp on the previous game too long because there’s another one coming up. It’s like the wild, wild West.”<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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At this point of the season, James said, it’s already like playoff basketball. And, James was asked this week if he is amazed by his own play given his age.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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“It definitely does surprise me,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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James also said he is “banged up” injury-wise, although he managed to play 34 minutes on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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–Field Level Media<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mar 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Luka Doncic (77) in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":945,"featured_media":8215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[3324,1060,656,2818,755,98,479,1604],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nLakers bring star power, winning streak into game against Heat - Frisco Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Deadspin | Lakers bring star power, winning streak into game against Heat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/friscotimes.org\/?p=8214\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lakers bring star power, winning streak into game against Heat - 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