Part 2/6:
With under five minutes left in the opening quarter, Bam Adebayo of the Heat made his mark, contributing to the team's growing lead. Despite attempts from the Lakers to claw back, trailing by five, the heat continued to dominate, and the atmosphere turned tense.
Lakers' Ongoing Struggles
As the second quarter unfolded, the Lakers found themselves down by 13 points. LeBron demonstrated his ability to score with a shooter's touch, but the team still lagged behind, down by 11. Even as LeBron poured in an impressive 29 points on 12 of 18 shooting, it became increasingly clear that individual efforts were not enough to turn the tide.