For the first time this season, the Lakers did not get a 40-point performance. Instead, it was a balanced attack from Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Jake LaRavia as the Lakers picked up their fifth win of the season, knocking off the Heat, 130-120.
Lakers use balanced attack to smother Heat
Posted November 3, 2025
Luka Dončić notched a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Austin Reaves had 26 points with 11 assists. Jaxson Hayes pitched in with 15 points.
Rui Hachimura scored 15 points, going 6-12 from the field. Jake LaRavia had a great game with 25 points, eight assists and four steals.
LA started hot offensively with Hachimura scoring the first five Lakers points. It was Hayes who then took over, scoring 10 points, including a 3-pointer.
The Lakers were shooting 64% while Miami was shooting 58%. LA was also shooting 42% from behind the arc to the Heat’s 25%.
Six points from Jaime Jaquez Jr. helped Miami pick up its tempo offensively, keeping them close as the Lakers still had the lead. Los Angeles then retook the momentum thanks to LaRavia scoring a quick five points.
Reaves threw a lob to Bronny James for the emphatic dunk that had the crowd excited. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up seven.
The Lakers started the second quarter missing their first few shots until Reaves converted on a layup at the 9:49 mark. Both teams picked up their energy offensively, but LA remained in control of the game.
Smart’s impact was on full display as he now had one block, two steals, and three assists. His block came as Jaquez Jr. on a fastbreak dunk attempt.
Luka scored a quick five points, helping Los Angeles extend their lead to what had now become 15.
The team was also cooking from behind the arc at 41%. They were dishing quite a few dimes with 16 assists on 24 made field goals. Four of five starters were in double figures for Los Angeles.
At halftime, the Lakers were up by 14.
Both teams started the third quarter well offensively. The Lakers drained two 3-pointers, and Miami made one. Bam Adebayo scored four points, pushing his point total to 13. Jaquez Jr. was the leading scorer for the Heat with 21.
The once 14-point lead for LA was now down to five thanks to an 8-0 scoring run for Miami. Hachimura scored in the paint to stop the run.
Luka was having a rough night from behind the arc, scoring on only one out of his eight attempts. Los Angeles was up by nine at the 4:01 mark.
LA ended the quarter poorly, allowing Miami to score eight straight to close to within four points heading into the final period.
The final frame began with Los Angeles struggling to defend Miami, who were still keeping it close. Hachimura drained his third 3-pointer of the game. Each time the Heat kept pulling close enough to take the lead, LA had the answer.
Smart drained his second 3-pointer of the game in the corner off a Bronny feed as he was providing every bit of impact the team needed to keep this lead.
It had become a four-point game until Reaves and LaRavia scored a combined four points to make it an eight-point game with 4:56 left. This run extended to 8-0, putting the Lakers in a great position to get the win.
Miami was on a three-minute scoring drought. Although they did break that drought, it wasn’t enough as LA scored just enough to lock in the win.
Key Takeaways:
If anyone out there still didn’t know who number 12 is, you should know now.
Bronny James may not have scored a bunch, but this was one of his best impact games as a Laker. Two assists and three steals, along with great defense, provided a much-needed boost off the bench.
The Lakers’ next matchup is Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers at 7:00 PM PT.
Stefanski Motives for Sticking With Browns’ Dillon Gabriel Revealed
As the Browns continue to struggle and rookie quarterback
Dillon Gabriel continues to look less and less like the team’s long-term solution at a position that has dogged the franchise for the better part of this millennium, the accusation has been firmly lodged against coach Kevin Stefanski that his decision to stick with Gabriel has something to do with a personal loyalty to Gabriel and/or a grudge against his fellow rookie,
Shedeur Sanders.
That’s not just the ravings of downtrodden fans on social media or angry talk-radio hosts. The theory has been put forth by former players and media members as well. When Gabriel struggled badly against the
Patriots, going 21-for-35 with two interceptions and 156 yards passing, and Stefanski said immediately after the game that he was sticking with Gabriel, it was widely taken as proof that Stefanski has some sort of ulterior motive.
The gist, as expressed by a gamut of ex-players from LeSean McCoy to Richie Incognito: Gabriel is Stefanski’s “guy” and the coach never wanted to draft Sanders, thus he is refusing to play him because to do so would be a blight on his judgment.
Browns Seeking to Give Dillon Gabriel a Chance
It’s a neat narrative, and there’s some logic there. But for longtime Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, it’s a bit twisted. The reasoning for sticking with Gabriel is not an anti-Sanders agenda, it’s just a desire to give the third-round pick a bit more time before turning to the fifth-rounder.
Asked directly whether Stefanski is, “scared to put Shedeur Sanders on the field because if Sanders succeeded, will it make him look bad?” Cabot replied: “There’s no way that’s the reason Sanders isn’t playing. If Stefanski isn’t playing Sanders, it’s because he wants to see more of Dillon Gabriel, and/or he doesn’t think Sanders is ready yet.”
Dillon Gabriel Has Struggled
There is a strong argument to be made for Sanders, no question. Though he was drafted two rounds after Gabriel, he was also considered, for most of last season at Colorado, to be a first-round talent and arguably the best QB in the draft. His stock cratered, but only after the season–what he did on the field was widely praised.
Gabriel has not showered himself in glory through his four starts. The Browns are 1-3, and he is averaging 117 yards per game with a rating of 78.2. No quarterback could keep his job with those kinds of numbers.
On the flip side, the Browns do not feel that a four-game snippet is fair to Gabriel–it gives him no opportunity to show that he’s grown–and that’s the reason Stefanski is sticking by him.
Browns Patient With Shedeur Sanders
For the Browns, putting Sanders on the field would be throwing him to the wolves. It’s not a good unit in general, and he is still getting up to speed on playing pro-style offense. Even Andrew Berry–Sanders is supposedly his “guy” in all this–acknowledged Sanders would need time.
Writes Cabot: “Remember, Browns GM Andrew Berry stated in August that for Sanders, it’s like going from English to Mandarin in terms of learning pro-style concepts and terminology. Three months is a brief period in which to come up that steep a learning curve. He has made tremendous progress in practice, and the Browns are excited about it.
“I would even venture to say that he’s doing better than expected at this point, largely because of his work ethic and high football acumen. I just think they want to put him in position to succeed, and even 18th-year pro Joe Flacco struggled with this offense. Sanders will play this season when the time is right.”
