1. The HEAT haven’t run into too many true small-ball lineups this season, but that’s exactly what the Los Angeles Lakers have pivoted towards in the absence of Anthony Davis (MCL sprain). They may start big with Dwight Howard (a lineup that was -10 in six first-half minutes, -13 overall), but from there they cycle through lineups featuring LeBron James and Stanley Johnson at the five. The problem for the Lakers is that with Bam Adebayo, Miami has a big who can defend small as well as anyone, so Miami had no reason to go away from their switching scheme – even when the Lakers were generating on-paper advantage matchups, the HEAT kept surprising them with double teams.
Coup’s Takeaways: Jimmy Butler’s Triple Double, HEAT’s Shooting Builds Early Lead As Miami Holds On Vs Lakers
