LOS ANGELES — Miami led for 2 minutes and 10 seconds. Then Luka Dončić hit a step-back jumper, and the Heat never saw the lead again.
Dončić finished with 42 points and 13 assists, Austin Reaves scored 27, and the Lakers beat the Miami Heat 138-117 on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena to finish a back-to-back at 6-2. It was Game 8 of 82. Los Angeles shot 57.3 percent, made 19 threes, handed out 39 assists on 51 baskets and led by as many as 24.
Luka’s first five minutes
Miami opened 4-0 on a Davion Mitchell three. Dončić ended that quickly. By the 7:32 mark of the first quarter he had 11 of the Lakers’ first 18 points, and the lead was 18-8. He finished the quarter with 16, and Los Angeles led 37-30.
Miami kept knocking
The Heat did not go away quietly. They scored 42 in the second quarter, matching the Lakers point for point, and Klay Thompson’s three with 6:06 left made it 52-52. A Thompson jumper later cut it to 60-59.
Dončić answered with a step-back three, and the Lakers took a 79-72 lead into the break. He had 24 at halftime, his fifth straight game with 20 or more in the first half. The Lakers announced on Instagram that he is the first Lakers player to do that since Kobe Bryant in 2007.
Eleven straight
The third quarter was the game. The Lakers opened the second half on an 11-0 run, and Miami did not score until a Thompson jumper with 9:39 left. Dončić had six of those points, Reaves three and Walker Kessler two. Dončić’s step-back three made it 88-72, and from there the lead never dipped below 15. He scored 13 in the quarter and had 37 through three.
The bench held the line
The reserves outscored Miami’s 41-30, and nobody sustained the starters’ work better than Sandro Mamukelashvili, who had 13 points and four assists in nearly 28 minutes. Ziaire Williams returned after missing three games and hit three of his six threes, two of them in the third quarter. Collin Sexton had five assists in under 16 minutes, and Quentin Grimes added four.
Kessler held the middle
Kessler finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds, four of them offensive, and the Lakers outscored Miami by 16 points in his minutes. The Lakers won the paint 60-38 and the second-chance points 14-8. Jake LaRavia added two blocks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo kept Miami within reach with 30 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, but he also turned it over seven times. The Heat gave it away 19 times in all, and the Lakers turned that into 18 points.
What Game 8 answered
Did Redick stick to his word? Yes. After Sunday’s near collapse he said, “I won’t make that mistake again,” according to Field Level Media. Reaves went to the bench with 4:58 left and the Lakers up 21, Dončić followed with 1:59 left up 20, and neither came back.
Could Dončić go on a back-to-back? Yes. He played 35 minutes and scored 42, one night after scoring 45, and the Lakers outscored Miami by 26 points while he was on the floor.
Did the turnovers get cleaned up? Better, not clean. The Lakers had 16 after 24 against Toronto, but Reaves had five, LaRavia had four, and Miami scored 20 points off them.
Could they guard the three? Better. Miami went 16-for-41 after Golden State hit 22 on Friday, and Thompson, who made seven against Indiana that same night, made four. Mitchell was the one who did damage, going 4-for-4.
Dončić now has 268 points through seven games this season, a 38.3 average, and the Lakers get Tuesday off before heading to Sacramento on Wednesday.
Final: Los Angeles Lakers 138, Miami Heat 117
Notable Stats of the Game
Luka Dončić (LAL): 42 points, 7 rebounds, 13 assists
Austin Reaves (LAL): 27 points, 5 assists, 4 three-pointers
Walker Kessler (LAL): 15 points, 15 rebounds, 2 steals
Sandro Mamukelashvili (LAL): 13 points, 4 assists, 2 steals
Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIA): 30 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists
Klay Thompson (MIA): 19 points, 4 three-pointers
Davion Mitchell (MIA): 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting, 7 assists
Upcoming Game for the Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers (6-2) @ Sacramento Kings
Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Location: Golden 1 Center • Sacramento
Tip-Off: 7:00 PM PT