With the Heat eliminating the Celtics in six games, the 2020 NBA Finals matchup is set. Awaiting Miami is the Western Conference champion Lakers and a familiar foe in superstar LeBron James.
The NBA Finals matchup is set!
The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat are ready to face off after winning their respective conferences. It is the Lakers’ first Finals appearance since 2010, whereas the Heat return to the Finals for the first time since 2014.
For more on what should be a thrilling title round, we have you covered below.
Series Schedule
All times Eastern.
- Game 1: Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 9 p.m.
- Game 2: Friday, Oct. 2 at 9 p.m.
- Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
- Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 9 p.m.
- Game 5: Friday, Oct. 9 at 9 p.m.*
- Game 6: Sunday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m.*
- Game 7: Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 9 p.m.*
*If necessary.
Season Series
Result: Lakers won 2-0.
Best game: Dec. 13, 2019 – Lakers 113, Heat 110
Best performance: Dec. 13, 2019 – Anthony Davis: 33 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 assist
The Heat and Lakers only faced off twice this season with Los Angeles winning both meetings.
The first meeting came all the way back on Nov. 6, 2019 – it was just the sixth game of Miami’s season and eighth game of the Lakers’ season. Los Angeles’ defence was stifling, holding the Heat to just 80 points, their lowest scoring total of the entire season.
The Lakers forced Miami to shoot 35.0% from the field and 17.1% from beyond the arc. Jimmy Butler got his with 22 points, but it was a quiet game from Bam Adebayo who only had 11 points and nine rebounds. The Heat had no answer for LeBron James, who went for 25 points and six assists, while Anthony Davis was equally as unstoppable with a stuffed stat sheet of 26 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks.
Their second meeting was a much closer contest, coming on Dec. 13 2019. Miami had a chance to tie the game with a Butler 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it was off the mark as Los Angeles came away with the season-series sweep.