The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James were in Miami on Friday night and attracted a sellout-plus crowd of 20,013. The Lakers survived 113-110, leaving the Heat with an 18-7 record as the runaway leader of the Southeast Division.
The Heat missed the playoffs last season (39-43). It now is a sneaky third as an Eastern contender behind Milwaukee and Philadelphia.
Miami drafted wisely by taking shooter Tyler Herro as the 13th choice in the 2019 draft, and found another excellent rookie — Kendrick Nunn — in the maze of G-Leaguers. Primarily, the Heat signed Jimmy Butler, now 30, to a four-year contract for $142 million.