Lakers Vs. Heat Preview: Can La Make It Eight In A Row?

After successfully claiming back-to-back wins in Houston, the Lakers (44-25) will travel east overnight to take on the Miami Heat (38-31) on Thursday. LA looks to sweep the season series against Miami and extend its current winning streak to eight.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat

When: 5 p.m. PT, Mar 19

Where: Kaseya Center

Watch: Spectrum SportsNet

The Lakers are on a roll right now, playing their best basketball of the season. They’re rising to the occasion and peaking at the right time.

Now the question is, how hot are the Lakers truly? Well, we’re about to find out on Thursday as they take on a competitive Heat squad.

This game could be considered one of LA’s hardest games this season. The Lakers will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back against a well-coached team that plays hard, regardless of who is on their roster.

The Heat are coming off two losses in a row, so they’re certainly determined to get back in the winning column, especially since they’re also fighting for a decent position in the Eastern Conference standings.

It’s uncertain who will suit up for the Lakers. There’s a good chance that LeBron James won’t after taking a hard fall and hurting his elbow in Wednesday’s win versus the Rockets. But if Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves suit up for this one, Los Angeles still has a high chance of winning this game. After all, the purple and gold are 9-2 this season when James is out, but Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves play.

Miami ranks 13th in the league in offense and actually has a top-four defense. They rebound the ball very well and average the second-most points per game at 120.2, led by their microwave scorers, Tyler Herro and Norman Powell, who will be suiting up for this one.

It’s going to be tough to win this one, but not impossible for the purple and gold, especially since they’re playing very good basketball right now. If they can outexecute the Heat and continue to stay hot on the offense, they certainly can pull this one off.

Let’s see if the Lakers can remain perfect in their current six-game road trip on Thursday.

Notes and Updates

• Since the Lakers will be on a back-to-back, there’s no injury report yet released for this one.
• As for the Heat, Terry Rozier (not with the team) and Andrew Wiggins (toe) are out.
• Jaime Jaquez Jr. (left hip tightness) is questionable, while Bam Adebayo (right calf tightness) is probable.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.