Lakers lose control in loss to Miami Heat, 100-94

Miami Heat 100 - Lakers 94 (end of regulation)

Dwyane Wade and Hassan Whiteside helped the Heat pull away in the final minute, against a competitive Lakers squad on Wednesday night in Miami.

After Wade hit a pair of free throws to give the Heat a three-point lead a minute and a half left in the game, Jordan Hill hit a layup on a nice feed from Jeremy Lin.

Wade tossed up a perfect lob for Whiteside on the other end, Hill converted a difficult play at the basket, but Miami answered with their two-man game with Wade giving Whiteside another great pass for a layup.

Rookie Jordan Clarkson missed a three-pointer with 16.9 seconds left and Whiteside finished the scoring for the night with three free throws.

Wade finished with 25 points and six assists. Whiteside scored 18 points with 25 rebounds and four blocked shots. Goran Dragic added 21 points while Luol Deng scored 15.

Miami shot 40.5% from the field and 18.8% from behind the arc (3-16), but really punished the Lakers at the free throw line with 43 attempts (making 33, 76.7%).

The Lakers had seven players in double figures, led by Wayne Ellington and Ed Davis with 14 apiece. Carlos Boozer and Hill added 13, Wesley Johnson and Jeremy Lin 12 apiece and Clarkson scored 10.

Both Davis (12 rebounds) and Hill (10) notched double-doubles. Lin was one assist away with nine, with just one turnover.

The Lakers shot 43.2% from the field and 38.9% from behind the arc (7-18), but took just 17 free throws (making 11, 64.7%).

With the loss, the Lakers fall to 16-44. They’ll next travel to Memphis to play the Grizzlies (43-17) on Friday. The Heat (27-33) also play on Friday, visiting the Washington Wizards (34-27).

Miami Heat 76 - Lakers 73 (end of third quarter)

The Heat seemed to take control in the third quarter, advancing ahead by 10 points with just three minutes left in the period.

After an Ed Davis put-back, Ryan Kelly converted a four-point play. Baskets from Wayne Ellington and Jeremy Lin, helped close the Lakers to within a point just two minutes later.

When the dust settled, Miami held a three-point advantage.

Miami did a much better job defensively in the third, until their late lapse. The Lakers shot 46% from the field for the game, dipping from 57.9% at halftime.

Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 18. Hassan Whiteside tallied 10 points with 16 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Carlos Boozer led the Lakers with 13 points. Ed Davis had a double-double off the bench with 12 points and 10 rebounds in just 17 minutes.

Miami hit 43.1% from the field. Both teams had 11 turnovers.

Lakers 51 - Miami Heat 46 (halftime)

The Lakers out-scored the Heat by eight points (26-18) in the second quarter, maintaining their 57.9% shooting from the field.

Miami dipped slightly to 44.7%, missing seven of eight three-point attempts (12.5%).

Wayne Ellington and Carlos Boozer both scored 12, to lead all scorers. The Lakers shared the ball well, dishing 15 assists on their 22 baskets.

Ed Davis scored eight points with seven rebounds off the bench, while Jeremy Lin added five points with six assists.

Luol Deng led the Heat with 11 points. Hassan Whiteside neared a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds, but also had three turnovers.

Miami Heat 28 - Lakers 25 (end of first quarter)

After a hot start for the Lakers, the Heat pulled ahead to take a three-point lead heading into the second quarter.

The Lakers shot an impressive 57.9% from the field, but sent the Heat to the line nine times (for eight points). The Lakers took just four free throws, making two.

Miami hit 45.5% of their shots, led by Luol Deng with nine points.

The Lakers got seven points from Wayne Ellington and five from Jordan Clarkson.

Both teams turned the ball over four times. Miami held a 13 to eight rebounding advantage.

Pregame

The Lakers (16-43) will try to avoid a three-game losing streak Wednesday in Miami against the Heat (26-33).

Miami will play without Chris Bosh (chest) and Josh McRoberts (knee), while guards Goran Dragic (general soreness) and Tyler Johnson (ankle) have been hobbled.

For the Lakers, Nick Young (knee) is questionable while Ronnie Price (elbow), Kobe Bryant (shoulder), Julius Randle (knee) and Steve Nash (back) are all done for the season.

For an in-depth breakdown, check out Preview: Lakers at Miami Heat.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.