Recap: Lakers lose to Miami Heat in Game 5 of NBA Finals

Lakers forward LeBron James scores between Heat forward Jae Crowder, left, and guard Tyler Herro during Game 5.

(John Raoux / Associated Press)

The King doesn’t get his crown tonight.

LeBron James scored 40 points with 13 rebounds and seven assists, but the Lakers lost Game 5 of the NBA Finals 111-108 on Friday night. The Lakers still lead 3-2 in the best-of-seven series with Game 6 coming Sunday.

Anthony Davis had 28 points and 12 rebounds, but Jimmy Butler led the Heat to a dramatic victory with 35 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and five steals.

Duncan Robinson helped the Heat with 26 points. Miami had six of seven players who entered the game score in double figures while the Lakers had just three double-digit scorers.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the Lakers’ third-best scorer with 16 points.

Danny Green had a chance to get into double figures, but missed an open three-pointer late that would have given the Lakers the lead. After exhaling, Butler said on the TV broadcast that the Heat won with a stroke of luck when Green didn’t make that shot. Green finished with eight points, making two-of-five three-pointers.

Down one with 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter, LeBron James drove to the basket and dished a pass back to Danny Green ,who had an open three-pointer from straight on.

Green missed the shot and Markieff Morris gathered the rebound, but threw the ball out of bounds trying to get it to Anthony Davis on the low block.

Anthony Davis fouled Jimmy Butler on a drive to the basket and Butler hit two free throws to put the Heat back up by one: 109-108 with 16.8 seconds remaining.

Butler has made all 12 of his free throws tonight, leading to 35 points.

Anthony Davis has 28 points for the Lakers, including two on a put-back basket to put the Lakers up 108-107 with 21.8 seconds remaining. Davis also has 12 rebounds.

The Heat took a timeout to set up their final play.

LeBron James has 40 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers lead 106-105 with 46.7 seconds to go.

Jimmy Butler has 31 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for the Heat.

Lakers forward LeBron James drives against the Heat during Game 5.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

LeBron James has the Lakers ahead 104-103 with 94 seconds remaining after a three-point play. He has 38 points.

The Lakers were on a 17-3 run to take a three-point lead. The Heat responded with baskets from Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson to take back the lead. Robinson’s three-pointer put the Heat up by two, a slim lead James erased at a free-throw line seconds later.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the only Laker in double-digit scoring besides James and Anthony Davis. Caldwell-Pope has 16 points.

Davis, who was injured in the first quarter, was struggling to move around the court late, limping up and down the floor. He was diagnosed with a heel bruise.

Robinson has 26 points.

Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scores on a layup and draws a foul against Heat forward Jae Crowder during Game 5.

(Mark j. Terrill / Associated Press)

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a corner three-pointer with 6:18 left in the fourth quarter to put the Lakers ahead 97-96. It’s the Lakers’ first lead since the first quarter.

Caldwell-Pope has 14 points, including three three-pointers. LeBron James shoveled the pass to him for his seventh assist of the night. James also has 33 points and 10 rebounds.

Lakers center Dwight Howard fouls Heat forward Jimmy Butler during a drive in Game 5.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

LeBron James is trying to carry the Lakers to a title, but the Miami Heat are leading 93-85 with 9:05 to go in the fourth.

James has 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting with six three-pointers, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. But the Lakers star was called for a charge in the fourth quarter, which was the Lakers’ fourth turnover in three minutes. Frank Vogel called a timeout to challenge the call.

Anthony Davis has 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers.

Jimmy Butler has a second Finals triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He delivered a 40-point triple-double in Game 3 as the Heat needed that win to avoid a 3-0 deficit in the series.

While Butler is starring for the Heat, he’s getting a lot of help from Duncan Robinson, who has 23 points. Robinson is six-for-12 shooting from three-point range and drew the disputed charge on James.

Lakers hcoach Frank Vogel argues with referee Eric Lewis during the second half of Game 5.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

The Lakers trail 88-82 going into the fourth quarter.

LeBron James rested at the end of the third quarter, with 28 points, six rebounds and five assists. The Lakers are going to need him to mount the comeback.

Seemingly every Lakers run late in the third quarter was met with a dumbfounding mistake. The Lakers cut the lead to one, then gave up a four-point play to Jae Crowder. They got within two, but fouled Duncan Robinson on a made three-pointer. Robinson sank the free throw.

Jimmy Butler has 27 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Bam Adebayo has only nine points and four rebounds, but blocked Rajon Rondo at the buzzer to seure a six-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

Lakers forward LeBron James pulls up for a jumper against the Heat during Game 5 on Friday night.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

With 27 points (and counting), LeBron James moved into second place in the NBA’s all-time scoring list, including playoffs. He is 11-of-14 shooting from the field tonight as the Lakers trail 78-77 with 4:00 to go in the third quarter.

James, who made a three-pointer to spark a 7-0 Lakers run, passed Karl Malone for No. 2 on the scoring list and just Kareen Abdul-Jabbar stands in front of him.

Abdul-Jabbar had 44,151 total points during his career. James entered Game 5 with 41,689, trailing Malone by 25. Along with 27 points, James had six rebounds and five assists tonight.

Speaking of Abdul-Jabbar, the legend is watching the game tonight and pulling for his old team.

The Lakers momentarily tied the score with a three-pointer from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope before Jimmy Butler scored off an offensive rebound on the other end to put the Heat up 72-70 with 6:41 remaining in the third quarter.

LeBron James is four-for-six shooting from three-point range, including this logo shot. He had 24 points to lead the Lakers.

Butler was fouled by Dwight Howard on this go-ahead tip-in, and Howard was given a flagrant one for the play. Butler had 26 points before the free throws.

LeBron James and Jimmy Butler are both trying to will their teams to victory tonight with stat-stuffing first-half performances.

James has 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal. He has made nine of 11 shots as the Lakers trail 60-56 at halftime.

Jimmy Butler has 22 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals. He is seven-of-seven shooting from the free-throw line. With Butler leading the Heat in rebounding, Miami is outrebounding the bigger Lakers.

Lakers forward LeBron James talks with guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope during the first half in Game 5.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

With his season on the line, Heat star Jimmy Butler has 22 points, including a late, shot-clock beating three-pointer that put the Heat up 60-56 at halftime.

The Lakers trailed by as many as 11 in the first half, then LeBron James came to the rescue. James has 21 points on nine-of-11 shooting, with three three-pointers, four rebounds and three assists. The Lakers cut the Heat lead to one before Butler’s final three-pointer.

Anthony Davis has 13 points and seven rebounds, despite the early heel injury that sidelined him for a few minutes. Rajon Rondo has four points and four assists off the bench.

LeBron James has 21 points as the Lakers have cut an 11-point lead to three. The Lakers trail 50-47 with 2:03 remaining in the second quarter.

James is nine-of-11 shooting from the field, with three rebounds and three assists.

Kendrick Nunn has given the Heat a surprising lift off the bench with 11 points. The guard who finished second in voting for rookie of the year had just 10 combined points in the last two games.

LeBron James has made three of four three-pointers with 17 points as the Lakers trail 42-36 with 6:05 remaining in the second quarter.

The rest of the Lakers are one-for-six shooting from three-point range. The one make came from Danny Green, who has five points, but just picked up his third foul.

The Heat are, again, living at the free-throw line early. Miami has made six of seven free throws compared to two for three for the Lakers. Jimmy Butler has 13 points, five of which came on free throws.

Lakers forward Anthony Davis drives to the basket against Heat forward Andre Iguodala during Game 5.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Anthony Davis returned to the court after re-aggravating a right heel contusion. Jimmy Butler challenged Davis immediately as the Heat star drove into the paint and drew a foul on Davis’ first defensive possession.

The Heat lead 41-30 with 7:53 to go.

Miami guard Andre Iguodala battles for a rebound with Lakers forward LeBron James during Game 5.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

With Anthony Davis on the sideline, the Heat have taken a 36-27 lead with 9:22 remaining in the second quarter.

The Lakers said Anthony Davis re-aggravated a right heel contusion, but will be available to return. He did not retreat to the locker room for treatment. Davis was listed as “probable” to continue on the injury report.

On the court, the Heat have outscored the Lakers 11-3 to start the second quarter. Rookie Kendrick Nunn has nine points off the bench on four-of-five shooting while Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson each have eight points.

Lakers forward Anthony Davis blocks a shot by Heat forward Jimmy Butler during Game 5.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Anthony Davis almost headed to the locker room after injuring his ankle/foot late in the first quarter, but the Lakers star instead paced around the bench area as the Lakers trail 25-24 after the first quarter.

He was seen walking with a limp off the court, but it improved as he stayed active on the bench.

Davis appeared to suffer the injury on this play.

He has eight points, three reboundss and one block for the Lakers in the first quarter.

Anthony Davis appeared to hurt his right ankle dduring the first quarter, unable to run back on defense after a collision under the basket. As the TV broadcast went to a commercial break for a timeout, Davis was seen lying on the baseline, holding his leg in pain.

Heat forward Jae Crowder passes around Lakers forward Anthony Davis after driving to the basket in Game 5.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Miami has scored seven unasnwered points to jump in front 20-18 with 3:10 left in the first quarter. The Heat needed just 51 seconds to do it.

The Heat made four straight shots to open the game, but missed six of their next seven.

Lakers center Dwight Howard reacts after getting tangled with Heat center Bam Adebayo during Game 5.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

After falling behind 11-7, the Lakers responded with nine straight points and now lead 18-13 with 4:59 remaining in the first quarter.

Anthony Davis has a team-high six points on three-of-four shooting, with two rebounds. LeBron James has four points, two assists and one rebound.

Jimmy Butler has four points to lead the Heat with two assists. Miami is looking for another big game from their superstar to extend the season.

Jimmy Butler and Dwight Howard earned double technical fouls after getting tied up in the first quarter.

The Lakers lead 14-11 with 6:50 to go in the first.

Danny Green, who was criticized on social media earlier this series, got off to a strong start with five points, knocking down the Lakers’ first shot with a corner three.

Green was scoreless from the field in Game 3, but recovered to score 10 points on four-of-eight shooting in Game 4, including two three-pointers.

Members Lakers kneel during the national anthem before Game 5 on Friday night.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Here we go.

The Lakers are wearing their Black Mamba jerseys, trying to stay undefeated in that uniform this postseason. If the good luck charm works, the Lakers will secure their first title since Kobe Bryant led the franchise to the top in 2010.

Anthony Davis upped the fashion ante by rocking these gold Kobe kicks for the game.

As the Lakers play for their 17th title, LeBron James is closing in on his fourth. If the Lakers win, he and Danny Green would be the third and fourth players to win championships with three different teams.

James, already rising on so many stats lists, is also ready to make a big move on the all-time scoring list.

Dan Woike, Brad Turner and Tania Ganguli give you an inside look at the arena as the Lakers begin final warmups for Game 5.

The Miami Heat are still without guard Goran Dragic, so they will stick with the same starting lineup as the previous game.

Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Jae Crowder, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro will start for Miami as they try to extend their stay in Orlando.

The Lakers will start Dwight Howard again, according to Times reporter Dan Woike, keeping the center alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Howard played only eight minutes after starting in Game 4, failing to score and grabbing just two rebounds. Markieff Morris played the majority of Howard’s time with nine points, three rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes.

Brad Turner is keeping an eye on Howard’s pregame routine.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel talked with reporters before Game 5, with the Lakers one win away from their 17th championship in franchise history.

Times reporter Dan Woike has a clip of Vogel talking about Anthony Davis, whose clutch three-pointer and blocked shot in Game 4 helped set the Lakers up for Friday’s big moment.

“The great ones raise their level when it matters most and to this point, I think that’s what he’s shown,” Vogel said. “During this playoff run, he’s been spectacular for us on both ends of the floor and just proves, validates what everybody’s always said about him.”

And speaking of Davis, Brad Turner checks in from Orlando with a view of Davis’ pregame workout.

Lakers guard Danny Green (14) and forward LeBron James (23) celebrate a basket by James during Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

(Associated Press)

The confetti is bundled. The tears are welling. The Larry O’Brien is waiting.

A city creeps to the end of couches. A team battles to the edge of euphoria. A franchise treads toward the precipice of history.

Hang on, Los Angeles, all heaven is about to break loose.

Barring a miracle or Jimmy Butler, Friday should be the night the Lakers capture their 17th NBA championship by finishing off the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

The stage is set. The mission is clear. The moment is now.

The Lakers are leading three games to one, requiring but one more win for a title, and it should be a lock. Only one team in NBA history has come back from such a deficit to win an NBA Finals, and that team had LeBron James, who now plays for the Lakers, and who has won 16 of his last 17 close-out games.

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Lakers guard Kobe Bryant holds the Larry O’Brien Trophy while celebrating his fourth championship during the 2009 NBA Finals.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

There are some interesting comparisons between the Lakers’ 2009 NBA championship team and their 2020 team, which is a win away from the title:

2009

—Beat Houston in the second round.

—Beat Denver in the conference finals.

—Won the title against a team from Florida (Orlando Magic) in Orlando in five games.

—Kobe Bryant, the Lakers’ best player, won his fourth NBA championship.

2020

—Beat Houston in the second round.

—Beat Denver in the conference finals.

—Could win the title against a Florida team (Miami Heat) in Orlando, Fla. (thanks to the NBA bubble) in five games.

—The Lakers’ best player, LeBron James, could win his fourth NBA championship.

NOTE: Dwight Howard played in both series, 2009 for Orlando, 2020 for the Lakers.

After Frank Vogel had been introduced as the Lakers coach, it took 84 seconds before he mentioned the single biggest tentpole of his coaching philosophy.

“The focus for our group has got to be to remain in the moment,” Vogel said.

It was May 20, 2019, when everything was different.

The Lakers were in disarray. Hours earlier, Magic Johnson appeared on ESPN and was critical of general manager Rob Pelinka. The roster still had Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball. Anthony Davis was still a New Orleans Pelican.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel calls for a timeout during Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

But the Lakers had a plan and, most importantly, Vogel had a message.

“There’s obviously a lot of outside noise like there is with every NBA team. But there’s going to be a lot of outside noise that we’re going to be tasked with blocking out,” he said during that news conference. “There’s going to be a lot of talk about our team getting back into the playoffs and what the Lakers represent in terms of a tradition of competing for championships. Those are end-result things.”

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LeBron James points to the sky during a moment to honor Kobe Bryant in the Lakers’ first game after the legend’s death.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The year was 2018 when a reporter in a scrum asked the NBA’s biggest star on Sept. 28 how he would gain the respect of fans in Los Angeles.

“Who, me?” LeBron James said, bemused. “Me?”

“Yes, you,” the reporter replied.

“Huh?” James said, to laughter. Then he smiled. “I signed a four-year deal. How much more — what do you want me to do?”

Over the next two years, James began to understand the answer to the question he posed. Lakers fans wanted him to win a championship.

“What I’ve learned being a Laker is that the Laker faithful don’t give a damn what you’ve done before,” James said on Thursday. “… They don’t care about your résumé at all until you become a Laker. Then you’ve got to do it as a Laker, and then they respect you. I’ve learned that.”

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