LOS ANGELES -- Finally back at Crypto.com Arena after a brutal December in which they were seemingly perpetually on the road and slid in the standings, the Los Angeles Lakers looked like strangers in their own home in Wednesday night's 110-96 loss to the Miami Heat.
The schedule was supposed to be favorable for the Lakers coming into the new year, with 11 of their first 12 games in January in L.A., but the Heat -- with their star, Jimmy Butler, out for the second straight game with right foot irritation -- was the team that looked comfortable all night.