Anthony Davis scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and LeBron James added 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, leading host Los Angeles Lakers past the Miami Heat 95-80 on Friday night.
Miami was led by Jimmy Butler, who put up 22 points after scoring 34 in his previous game. Heat backup point guard Goran Dragic added 19 points off the bench.
But the Heat shot just 35 percent from the floor, including 17.1 percent on 3-pointers (6-for-35). It was Miami's lowest-scoring and poorest-shooting game of the season.
James, who led Miami to two NBA titles before bolting, had produced triple-doubles in his previous three games, becoming the first Lakers player to achieve that feat since Magic Johnson in 1987.
But James fell short of a triple on Friday, dishing 6 assists and snatching 4 rebounds.
The Lakers have won 7 straight games, the longest active win streak in the Western Conference. The Lakers are 4-0 at home this season and haven't lost anywhere since their season opener.
Miami, which won 124-108 on Thursday night at the Phoenix Suns, played on shorter rest. The Lakers had been off since Tuesday.
Guard Avery Bradley, who missed the Lakers' previous game due to a contusion on his right leg, returned to the starting lineup and scored 9 points in 25 minutes.
The Heat were without starting forward Justise Winslow and backup wing Derrick Jones (hip injury). Winslow has missed four straight games, first with lower-back stiffness and now with a headache.
Los Angeles, which led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter, settled for a 28-21 advantage at the end of 12 minutes.
Davis was brilliant in that quarter, going 5-for-5 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the foul line, totaling 12 points. Miami, meanwhile, missed all four of its 3-pointers and got outrebounded 16-7.
Miami won the second quarter and cut its deficit to 48-46 by halftime. A key for the Heat was they got to the foul line more than the Lakers in the first half, making 13-of-15. Los Angeles went 2-for-2.
The Lakers, though, stretched their lead to 14 points before ending the third quarter with a 78-66 advantage.
James was then the difference in the fourth quarter as the Lakers cruised.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
