Through two games, the 2020 NBA Finals have been completely controlled by the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers won Game 1 by 18 points after leading by over 30 at one point in the game, and they followed that up with a 10 point victory in Game 2 on Friday night. Superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis have led the way for L.A. as Davis has tallied 66 points through two games, while James was just an assist and a rebound shy of a triple-double in Game 2. He finished with 33 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.
The Heat were underdogs heading into the series, and injury issues have only made things more difficult for them. Miami was without both Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic in Game 2, and while Adebayo is expected to return for Game 3, Dragic's status remains uncertain. Banged up and down 2-0, the Heat are facing an uphill battle to get back into the series, but if they've shown us anything over the course of the season it's that they're not going to give up.
Here's everything you need to know about Game 3 between the Lakers and Heat.
Viewing information
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 4 | 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Disney Wide World of Sports -- Orlando, Florida
- TV: ABC I Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
- Odds: Lakers -8.5 | Over/Under: 218.5
Storylines
Lakers: Things have gone about as well as the Lakers could have hoped through two games. James and Davis are both healthy and dominating, and all of the other role players are stepping up Veterans Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo have given the Lakers excellent minutes, as both appear extremely excited to be back in the Finals after a long layoff. The fact that the Heat are so banged up obviously works in L.A.'s favor, too. Sitting just two wins away from their first title in a decade, look for the Lakers to continue to ride James and Davis to the finish line.
Heat: The Heat have had an inspiring run in the bubble, but it doesn't look great for them at this point in time. Beating the star-studded Lakers would have been a tall task for Miami at full health, but the injury issues they're dealing with just make it that much harder. Dragic was the team's leading scorer throughout the postseason, and we had him ranked as the fifth most impactful player heading into the series. Losing him is a big blow. The Heat will fight to the end, but ultimately they may be overmatched in this series.
Prediction
The Lakers won both Game 1 and 2 by double-digits, and outside of the first quarter of Game 1, they completely controlled both contests. In James and Davis they have the two best players in the series, and the Heat just don't appear to have an answer for either. Miami will fight, but so far they haven't given us much of a reason to believe that they'll be able to pull out a win. Pick: Lakers -8.5
