Iztok Franko: Lakers Game Observations: Game 7 vs Heat

November 3, 2025 at 9:28 am

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Despite being undermanned, with Deandre Ayton a late scratch for this game, the Lakers keep finding ways to win. They beat the Miami Heat 130–120 for their third in a row and fifth in the last six games.

In my game preview, I did a detailed breakdown of how unorthodox and difficult a matchup this re-invented Heat team can be, especially in the regular season when there is not much time to prepare for their fast pace and relentless drive-and-move attack.

But the Lakers managed to solve this unusual problem, showing that even on an off shooting night from their two stars, their offensive firepower will be hard to match, even for the most unconventional guerrilla-war tactics.

Lakers survive the battle of styles and zone gimmicks

This offense is something…

Jake LaRavia fills the gaps and the stat sheet again! (VIDEO)

Jaxson Hayes starts and steps up again (VIDEO)

Quick Blazers preview

1-Lakers survive the battle of styles and zone gimmicks

Despite knowing that the Heat would run and attack the paint at every opportunity, even after made baskets, the Lakers had trouble adjusting to the game pace and especially staying in front of Jaime Jaquez Jr. on his drives. He scored a game-high 31 points and got to the line 13 times.

The Heat’s game of pace, constant drives, and early attacks is hard to adjust to, but at times it can be detrimental to their own success, as they made several mistakes trying to process the game and make decisions at such a fast speed. The Lakers had something to do with that. They finished with 14 steals compared to the Heat’s 7, continuing a trend that shows their improving defensive talent and playmaking this season. They currently rank in the top 10 in opponent turnover rate.

Marcus Smart was a spark again, making three defensive plays in three and a half minutes at the start of the second quarter, including a highlight-reel hustle-back block in transition. Jake LaRavia’s hands were everywhere again (4 steals), Luka Dončić made great reads on several Heat offensive initiation plays (3 steals), and Bronny James’ activity (3 steals), combined with the fact that he was one of the rare Lakers able to stay in front of the ball on drives, won him some surprising key fourth-quarter minutes. Despite being dragged into a foot race, the Lakers managed to muster enough energy to win the possession battle and match the Heat in fast-break points.

The other curveball the Lakers had to navigate was Spoelstra, in his usual style, junking up the game with various combinations of full-court press and matchup zones. Redick countered by playing a lot of zone as well, which resulted in a game with the second-most zone-defense possessions in the NBA this season.

2-This offense is something…

After the Grizzlies win, I wrote that Dončić and Reaves’ half-court dissecting would be hard to match for any opponent. Last night, the Lakers scored 130 against the third-best defense in the NBA on a night when both stars shot poorly. Dončić and Reaves were both 9-of-22 from the floor, and Dončić made only 1 of his 11 three-point attempts, prompting him to comment that they could have had 150 if he and Reaves had made their shots.

The floor and ceiling are both pretty high for this offense (now ranked fifth overall in the league) where an off night from its two main cogs means a 29-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double and a 26-point, 11-assist performance.

Dončić and Reaves combined for 22 of the Lakers’ 33 total assists, and while the Heat’s aggressive help schemes designed to swarm the two main ball-handlers affected their own shooting, it also opened plenty of gaps and easy opportunities for their teammates.

3-Jake LaRavia fills the gaps and the stat sheet again! (VIDEO)

Speaking of open gaps, Jake LaRavia flourished once again not only as a player who lurks in the gaps, but as one who creates them with his movement, cuts, and by simply running the floor harder than the opponent.

LaRavia, who had his first breakthrough performance as a Laker a couple of nights ago with 27 points and 8 rebounds in the win against Minnesota, followed it up with an even better all-around game last night — 25 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists.

Postgame, LaRavia explained that most of his scoring comes from easy opportunities created by Dončić and Reaves. But to maximize those chances the way he has in recent games requires a combination of basketball IQ, intuition, feel for the game, and the motor to maintain constant motion for over 30 minutes. The latter proved crucial against a team like the Heat, with their zone coverages and the constant attention they give to Dončić and Reaves.

4-Jaxson Hayes starts and steps up again (VIDEO)

For the second game in a row, Hayes had to fill in for Deandre Ayton, this time for the full game. Jaxson started and was a key part of the Lakers’ hot start that saw them build an early 10-point lead and never look back. Hayes was 5-of-5 from the floor, scored 11 points, and even made a rare three-pointer during his first seven-minute stint.

source: https://www.nba.com/game/mia-vs-lal-0022500155/game-charts

Like LaRavia, Hayes is great at filling the gaps created by Dončić and Reaves, just in a different way — with his speed on rim rolls and vertical presence at the rim.

Hayes was also very active without the ball on both ends. He crashed the offensive glass and kept several plays alive that led to extra Laker possessions. On defense, he did a great job contesting Miami’s drives at the rim. The Heat were only 5-of-13 on shots that Hayes contested and had a much easier time scoring in the paint against small-ball lineups when he was on the bench, an effect reflected in his game-high +17 plus/minus.

Hayes is still prone to occasional lapses that drive Redick crazy and were the reason the 7-foot pogo-stick big man fell out of the rotation in the playoffs. But so far this season, his play has far outweighed the mistakes, and he brings a much-needed different dimension to supplement Ayton.

5-Quick Blazers preview

The Lakers will not have much time to celebrate this win, as they fly to Portland to face the Trail Blazers for the second time this season, on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Lakers lost their first matchup against Portland a week ago, a game Dončić and Smart both missed. It was marked by struggles against aggressive on-ball pressure, an area where the young and energetic Blazers have been trendsetters this season.

Like the Lakers, the Blazers enter this game on a three-game winning streak and with a surprising 4–2 start to the season. Toumani Camara, Jrue Holiday, Matisse Thybulle, and Blake Wesley remain the most aggressive, ball-pressure, ball-hawking group in the NBA. Opponents are turning the ball over at an astounding 21.6 percent rate — by far the best mark in the league, with the Cavaliers second at 17.8 percent. That ball pressure and turnover creation are the main reasons the Blazers currently rank as the sixth-best overall defense. That aggressiveness does come at a cost, as the Blazers commit fouls at the third-highest rate among all NBA teams. Considering the Lakers rank in the top five in free-throw rate, you can see where this game could be decided.

If the Lakers can muster enough energy and bodies (assuming Dončić, Smart, or someone else does not sit out on the back-to-back) they should be much better equipped to handle the Blazers’ pressure this time around. The Lakers’ half-court offense is simply too good, and the gap in playmaking and shot creation is too big. There is a chasm between the Lakers’ second-ranked half-court offense at 105.3 points per 100 plays and the Blazers, who rank 23rd at 93.4.

But like the Heat, the Blazers use guerrilla tactics to bridge the talent gap, and the Lakers will have to win another unconventional fight, proving they can take care of the ball and keep up with Portland even on tired legs.

Comments

LakerTom says

November 3, 2025 at 9:28 am

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Despite being undermanned, with Deandre Ayton a late scratch for this game, the Lakers keep finding ways to win. They beat the Miami Heat 130–120 for their third in a row and fifth in the last six games.

In my game preview, I did a detailed breakdown of how unorthodox and difficult a matchup this re-invented Heat team can be, especially in the regular season when there is not much time to prepare for their fast pace and relentless drive-and-move attack.

But the Lakers managed to solve this unusual problem, showing that even on an off shooting night from their two stars, their offensive firepower will be hard to match, even for the most unconventional guerrilla-war tactics.

Lakers survive the battle of styles and zone gimmicks

This offense is something…

Jake LaRavia fills the gaps and the stat sheet again! (VIDEO)

Jaxson Hayes starts and steps up again (VIDEO)

Quick Blazers preview

1-Lakers survive the battle of styles and zone gimmicks

Despite knowing that the Heat would run and attack the paint at every opportunity, even after made baskets, the Lakers had trouble adjusting to the game pace and especially staying in front of Jaime Jaquez Jr. on his drives. He scored a game-high 31 points and got to the line 13 times.

The Heat’s game of pace, constant drives, and early attacks is hard to adjust to, but at times it can be detrimental to their own success, as they made several mistakes trying to process the game and make decisions at such a fast speed. The Lakers had something to do with that. They finished with 14 steals compared to the Heat’s 7, continuing a trend that shows their improving defensive talent and playmaking this season. They currently rank in the top 10 in opponent turnover rate.

Marcus Smart was a spark again, making three defensive plays in three and a half minutes at the start of the second quarter, including a highlight-reel hustle-back block in transition. Jake LaRavia’s hands were everywhere again (4 steals), Luka Dončić made great reads on several Heat offensive initiation plays (3 steals), and Bronny James’ activity (3 steals), combined with the fact that he was one of the rare Lakers able to stay in front of the ball on drives, won him some surprising key fourth-quarter minutes. Despite being dragged into a foot race, the Lakers managed to muster enough energy to win the possession battle and match the Heat in fast-break points.

The other curveball the Lakers had to navigate was Spoelstra, in his usual style, junking up the game with various combinations of full-court press and matchup zones. Redick countered by playing a lot of zone as well, which resulted in a game with the second-most zone-defense possessions in the NBA this season.

2-This offense is something…

After the Grizzlies win, I wrote that Dončić and Reaves’ half-court dissecting would be hard to match for any opponent. Last night, the Lakers scored 130 against the third-best defense in the NBA on a night when both stars shot poorly. Dončić and Reaves were both 9-of-22 from the floor, and Dončić made only 1 of his 11 three-point attempts, prompting him to comment that they could have had 150 if he and Reaves had made their shots.

The floor and ceiling are both pretty high for this offense (now ranked fifth overall in the league) where an off night from its two main cogs means a 29-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double and a 26-point, 11-assist performance.

Dončić and Reaves combined for 22 of the Lakers’ 33 total assists, and while the Heat’s aggressive help schemes designed to swarm the two main ball-handlers affected their own shooting, it also opened plenty of gaps and easy opportunities for their teammates.

3-Jake LaRavia fills the gaps and the stat sheet again! (VIDEO)

Speaking of open gaps, Jake LaRavia flourished once again not only as a player who lurks in the gaps, but as one who creates them with his movement, cuts, and by simply running the floor harder than the opponent.

LaRavia, who had his first breakthrough performance as a Laker a couple of nights ago with 27 points and 8 rebounds in the win against Minnesota, followed it up with an even better all-around game last night — 25 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists.

Postgame, LaRavia explained that most of his scoring comes from easy opportunities created by Dončić and Reaves. But to maximize those chances the way he has in recent games requires a combination of basketball IQ, intuition, feel for the game, and the motor to maintain constant motion for over 30 minutes. The latter proved crucial against a team like the Heat, with their zone coverages and the constant attention they give to Dončić and Reaves.

4-Jaxson Hayes starts and steps up again (VIDEO)

For the second game in a row, Hayes had to fill in for Deandre Ayton, this time for the full game. Jaxson started and was a key part of the Lakers’ hot start that saw them build an early 10-point lead and never look back. Hayes was 5-of-5 from the floor, scored 11 points, and even made a rare three-pointer during his first seven-minute stint.

source: https://www.nba.com/game/mia-vs-lal-0022500155/game-charts

Like LaRavia, Hayes is great at filling the gaps created by Dončić and Reaves, just in a different way — with his speed on rim rolls and vertical presence at the rim.

Hayes was also very active without the ball on both ends. He crashed the offensive glass and kept several plays alive that led to extra Laker possessions. On defense, he did a great job contesting Miami’s drives at the rim. The Heat were only 5-of-13 on shots that Hayes contested and had a much easier time scoring in the paint against small-ball lineups when he was on the bench, an effect reflected in his game-high +17 plus/minus.

Hayes is still prone to occasional lapses that drive Redick crazy and were the reason the 7-foot pogo-stick big man fell out of the rotation in the playoffs. But so far this season, his play has far outweighed the mistakes, and he brings a much-needed different dimension to supplement Ayton.

5-Quick Blazers preview

The Lakers will not have much time to celebrate this win, as they fly to Portland to face the Trail Blazers for the second time this season, on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Lakers lost their first matchup against Portland a week ago, a game Dončić and Smart both missed. It was marked by struggles against aggressive on-ball pressure, an area where the young and energetic Blazers have been trendsetters this season.

Like the Lakers, the Blazers enter this game on a three-game winning streak and with a surprising 4–2 start to the season. Toumani Camara, Jrue Holiday, Matisse Thybulle, and Blake Wesley remain the most aggressive, ball-pressure, ball-hawking group in the NBA. Opponents are turning the ball over at an astounding 21.6 percent rate — by far the best mark in the league, with the Cavaliers second at 17.8 percent. That ball pressure and turnover creation are the main reasons the Blazers currently rank as the sixth-best overall defense. That aggressiveness does come at a cost, as the Blazers commit fouls at the third-highest rate among all NBA teams. Considering the Lakers rank in the top five in free-throw rate, you can see where this game could be decided.

If the Lakers can muster enough energy and bodies (assuming Dončić, Smart, or someone else does not sit out on the back-to-back) they should be much better equipped to handle the Blazers’ pressure this time around. The Lakers’ half-court offense is simply too good, and the gap in playmaking and shot creation is too big. There is a chasm between the Lakers’ second-ranked half-court offense at 105.3 points per 100 plays and the Blazers, who rank 23rd at 93.4.

But like the Heat, the Blazers use guerrilla tactics to bridge the talent gap, and the Lakers will have to win another unconventional fight, proving they can take care of the ball and keep up with Portland even on tired legs.

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- LakerTom says
  
  November 3, 2025 at 9:33 am
  
  More great stuff to introduce you to Iztok Franko, a Luka fan who followed Doncic to the Lakers. Great BB analyst.
  
  Log in to Reply

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