LA Lakers vs Miami Heat: Injury report, predicted lineups and starting 5s - April 8th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
The LA Lakers come into their 2020-21 NBA matchup against the Miami Heat off a win against the Toronto Raptors.
The LA Lakers have missed the services of multiple key players in recent weeks, which includes their obvious absentees, Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat's four-match winning run ended against the Toronto Raptors. Victor Oladipo has recently returned from an injury, producing 16 points and six rebounds in that game. Jimmy Butler had a good outing, while Bam Adebayo had a triple-double against the Raptors.
LA Lakers vs Miami Heat Injury Report
LA Lakers
The LA Lakers’ woes began with Anthony Davis’ absence, and those have got compounded with LeBron James’ injury. New acquisition Andre Drummond and Montrezl Harrell both missed their last game, with the former expected to sit out against the Miami Heat as well.
The LA Lakers produced an efficient team performance in their last outing, with as many as six different players hitting double figures. That includes Alex Caruso and Talon Horton-Tucker, who both stepped up off the bench in the absence of Montrezl Harrell.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat have been in decent form in recent weeks, with Oladipo improving with every passing game since his return from injury.
Jimmy Butler has been impressive at both ends of the court and has been the key playmaker for the Miami Heat. He is averaging more than 21 points, 7.3 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game this season.
The Miami Heat have virtually no injury concerns and will fancy their chances of beating the defending champions for the second time this season.
LA Lakers vs Miami Heat predicted lineup
LA Lakers
The return of Montrezl Harrell and the potential inclusion of Andre Drummond could be a huge boost for the LA Lakers.
Marc Gasol produced 13 points and nine rebounds from the center in his last game. But Drummond has been the starting center for the LA Lakers since he arrived.
The LA Lakers should be sticking with the same lineup for this game, except for Drummond and Harrell, who could start from the bench once again.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat have all of their key stars available for the LA Lakers game. Bam Adebayo produced 18 points, ten rebounds and ten assists in his last outing and should start at center position against the Lakers.
Tyler Herro has been hugely impressive off the bench, while Jimmy Butler will be expected to continue his recent prolific form.
LA Lakers Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Dennis Schroder l Shooting Guard - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope l Small Forward - Kyle Kuzma l Power Forward - Markieff Morris l Center - Marc Gasol.
Miami Heat Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Victor Oladipo l Shooting Guard - Duncan Robinson l Small Forward - Jimmy Butler l Power Forward - Trevor Ariza l Center - Bam Adebayo.