RotoWire – Juan Pablo Aravena

Lakers Gaming and the Heat Check Gaming needed three games to find a winner in their Wednesday matchup, but the Lakers executed better during crunch time which was enough to earn a 2-1 series win.

The Lakers kicked things off with a dominant approach in Game 1, and they quickly built a 20-9 lead following the first quarter. The Heat showed signs of a potential turnaround with a 21-14 second quarter, so the differential was just four points heading into the break. The Lakers, however, restored their advantage with a 21-13 third quarter. That would be enough to seal the victory. The Heat didn’t have enough in them to even force a potential fourth-quarter comeback, and the Lakers cruised their way to a comfortable 67-57 victory.

SAV was the undisputed star for the Lakers, as he scored 50 of his team’s 67 points while adding six assists. Mootyy and Vert both went scoreless, but Dweq responded for them — the center finished with 11 points, 18 rebounds, and seven assists. TBShiftay, who played as a point guard, delivered 23 points and three assists as he replaced GlennRatty. Hotshot had a strong effort with 15 points and 15 boards.
The Heat used that Game 1 loss as fuel for the second game of the series, though. They got off to a dominant start and quickly built an eight-point lead (23-15) after the first quarter. Even though the Lakers reduced the deficit at times, they still entered the final quarter down by seven points. The Heat didn’t waste time in the final quarter, though, and pulled away for good with a 21-15 score. As such, the Heat Check Gaming forced a decisive Game 3 thanks to a 78-65 victory.

TBShiftay was the best player for the Heat, notching 22 points and 13 assists, although HotShot also produced a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Deedz looked threatening as a shooting guard, too, and he ended with 13 points while making three of his four 3-point attempts. As for the Lakers, SAV notched 22 points and 13 assists, but the rest of the team wasn’t up to the same standard as they were in Game 1.

The Heat’s dominance would continue in the early stages of Game 3, and they were up by eight points by the halftime break (40-32). That would change in the second half, though, as the Lakers made it a three-point game with a 19-14 frame. They saved the best for last, though, as they limited the Heat to a series-low 10 points in the fourth quarter. The Lakers scored 25 points, so they ended winning by a 76-64 score that resulted more expressive than expected considering how the game happened.

As it’s often the case when the Lakers win, SAV registered 52 points while adding eight assists. Dweq notched 11 rebounds to go along with six points and three assists, while Mootyy delivered nine points. As for the Heat, TBShiftay posted 35 points, five assists and four steals. His efforts were not enough, though, as the rest of the team didn’t accompany him. Hotshot did look good, though, thanks to a 12-point, nine-rebound, three-assist performance.