Thursday night in Miami will feature a battle of the top two scorers in the NBA, as Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers hit the road to battle LeBron James and the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena in a nationally televised game on TNT.
Bryant leads the NBA with a scoring average of 30.8 points per game, including a string of four consecutive 40-point games that was snapped Monday against the Dallas Mavericks. James is a close second, averaging 29.8 points per game and has scored 68 points in his last two games.
The Lakers have won 10 of their last 13 games, though nine of those wins have come at Staples Center. The Lakers are just 1-4 as the road team this season, and have had trouble winning in Miami in recent years. The Lakers have lost six of their last seven games in Miami, including each of their last three trips to South Florida.
Miami opened their season 8-1 but then had a three-game losing streak before winning at home on Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs. Dwyane Wade has had various foot and leg injuries all season, and missed Tuesday's game with his latest malady, a sprained left ankle.
This is the first of two meetings between the Lakers and Heat, as the two teams will battle in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 4 in another nationally televised game, on ABC.
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