Lakers Come Back to Win Game 1 After Slow Start

The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t resting on their laurels following a convincing Game 1 win over the Miami Heat.

The Lakers won the first game of the NBA Finals series 116 – 98 after conceding a 13-point first quarter deficit. 

By the end of the first half, the Lakers had scored 11 three pointers for a 30 point turnaround. Meanwhile, the Heat players succumbed to the physical demands and left with injuries. Both Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic left the court. 

With two of their biggest playmakers gone, Miami had a job on its hands to contain the determined Lakers. 

Want $250 to bet on the NBA Finals?

Sign up here!

The LeBron James and Anthony Davis tandem was in full swing against the depleted Miami Heat. Davis led the game in scoring, with 34 points.

LeBron James finished just shy of a triple-double with 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.

Despite a strong start to the series, the Lakers players are aware of their task. This isn’t any NBA Finals, it’s the team’s first in ten years. As a result, they remain focussed.

“We came out slow,” said Anthony Davis.

“[If]we want to win this series and become champions we have to play better from the start.”

“We’ve got so much more work to do,” James said. 

“The job is not done and we’re not satisfied with winning one game. It’s that simple.” 

Read: Scottie Pippen – NBA Bubble ‘Not Real Basketball’

The status of Adebayo and Dragic is unknown ahead of Game 2. Miami Heat coach Erick Spoelstra admitted that Los Angeles had the physical edge on Wednesday night.

“The Lakers set the tenor, the force, the physicality for the majority of the game and they just took control and we weren’t able to get it back,” Spoelstra said.