LeBron James did it all Thursday night, leading the Miami Heat to an easy 98-87 win over the listless Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Playing without an ankled Dwyane Wade for the second straight game, James did more than pick up the slack, scoring 31 points, grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out eight assists, and even collecting four steals and three blocked shots.
The Lakers fell behind late in the first quarter after Andrew Bynum picked up two quick fouls, and were never able to recover, unable to find any sort of rhythm on offense. Kobe Bryant made just eight of 21 shots from the field in scoring 24 points, as the Lakers made just 42.0% of their field goal attempts as a team.
The Lakers are 1-5 on the road this season.
Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 26 points, while Bynum chipped in 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who trailed by as many as 23 points. The Lakers have little time to regroup, as they battle Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic on Friday night.
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