Late on Monday night, the Miami Heat will travel to Los Angeles for a matchup with the Lakers. It's the second and final game between the teams this season, and thus the final time that longtime friends LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will be on the court together.
Wade was out on paternity leave earlier this season when the Lakers came to Miami and won by 16 points behind a season-high 51 point-performance by LeBron. Recently, LeBron said Monday's matchup will be "sweet and sour." Wade is expected to retire following the 2018-19 season.
Miami enters the game on a bit of a hot streak, having won four of their last five games, including a beatdown of the Clippers just a few days ago. The Lakers have also been playing well, with wins in five of their last six contests.
How to watch Heat at Lakers
- Date: Monday, Dec. 10
- Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Staples Center -- Los Angeles, California
- Streaming: fuboTV (free trial - NBA TV add-on available)
- Live stats: GameTracker
- Odds: Lakers -6
Odds and analysis
Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.
Storylines
Heat: After a brutal start to the season, in which they were just 7-13 at one point, the Heat have started to turn things around. They've won four of their last five games, including a 23-point win over the Clippers on the road. James Johnson has started to round back into form after his return from injury, and Dwyane Wade's return from paternity leave has helped as well. Plus, young big man Bam Adebayo has had some bright moments in recent games. With the bottom of the Eastern Conference looking shaky, the Heat are suddenly just a few games out of sixth place in the East.
Lakers: The Lakers' early season drama -- which featured a big fight and suspensions, as well as rumors of Luke Walton being on the hot seat -- is well in the background now. Since their 0-3 start, the Lakers are 16-7, and have currently won five of their last six games. At 16-10 on the season, they're just 1.5 games out of first place in the crowded West. Not that it's entirely surprising, but LeBron James has been spectacular recently.
Game prediction, pick
The sports books don't have much belief in the Heat despite their recent hot streak, as the Lakers are six point favorites at home in this one. That's a pretty decent spread, but we'll still take the Lakers to cover. They've been strong at home, and the Heat still aren't trustworthy.
