After traveling for 25 of the previous 29 days, the Lakers arrived home and immediately set new objectives, thoroughly examined their offense and defense, and assessed their level of effort. They decided that while they still possessed talent, their level of competition had just decreased.

If they wish to look for fixes further, they might want to double-check that list. Wednesday night’s anticipated joyful return to home was marred by numerous turnovers and squandered chances as the club lost 110-96 to the Miami Heat, who were missing All-Star Jimmy Butler.

The Lakers (17–18) shot just 4 for 30 from 3-point range and committed 22 turnovers, seemingly bringing home the issues that cost them seven of their previous nine away games.

In order to salvage a season that appears to have plateaued and fallen short of preseason expectations, coach Darvin Ham stated that the club must be deliberately and persistently competitive. The expectation of a lengthy postseason run increased when the Lakers advanced to the Western Conference finals and won the first-ever In-Season Tournament last season.

“It just involves everyone being continuously and purposefully competitive, regardless of whether they are in uniform or not, active or not. It is irrelevant. You play in the NBA,” Ham remarked. “You’re always expected to meet high standards. Simply concentrating on the details, making a few schematic adjustments, and simply playing hard and making an attempt.

But despite inconsistent performance and a four-game losing streak, injuries and haphazard lineups have left the Lakers struggling to find their identity. Their suffering was exacerbated by their ninth defeat in 12 games on Wednesday night.

The Lakers employed a fresh lineup with the starting of Cam Reddish and Austin Reaves, who made his first start since November 8, in place of D’Angelo Russell (tailbone bruise), Rui Hachimura (calf), and Gabe Vincent (ankle).

“The continuity you were hoping for can occasionally be disrupted by real-life NBA circumstances,” Ham added. Our main concern is that we can tolerate the outcome as long as we play with passion, discipline, and effort for the full 48 minutes of a game, regardless of who is starting.

In the first half, the Lakers found it difficult to score many points against Miami’s zone defense. They also failed to start the month of April with a strong start because of turnovers (15 before halftime and 10 in the first quarter). This month, they will play most of their games at home.

LeBron James’s unusually bad night didn’t help. Using 6-of-18 shooting, he finished with a season-low 12 points. Even with a game-high 29 points from Anthony Davis, 17 rebounds, five blocked shots, and 24 points and eight assists from Raves, the Heat’s balanced offense and costly errors proved too much to overcome.

With 21 points, six rebounds, and four assists, Tyler Herro led Miami, while Jaime Jaquez Jr., a former UCLA standout, finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Five players, including former UCLA standout Kevin Love (10 points, a season-high 14 rebounds), scored in double digits. Nikola Jovic (eight rebounds) and Bam Adebayo both scored fifteen points.

With more vigor after the break, the Lakers closed the gap to 70-67 thanks to 12 baskets from Davis in the third quarter. With less than two minutes remaining in the half, he scored six straight points to single-handedly put the Lakers back in the game. The Heat extended their lead to five points heading into the last quarter after leading by as much as twelve points in the first half.

Despite Butler’s absence, the Heat outscored the Lakers to go up 84–74 early in the fourth quarter, using a 10–3 run to take a 10-point advantage. The Lakers stopped making threats.

Miami’s field goal percentage in the first three quarters was just 39.1%, but in the fourth, they hit 14 for 24, including 6 for 11 from three-point range. Of his 13 points, 11 came from Duncan Robinson in the fourth quarter.