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Heat outlast Lakers in low-scoring affair

Jan 14, 2015 - 6:42 AM Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Mario Chalmers scored 19 points with eight assists to help the Miami Heat in a 78-75 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.

Hassan Whiteside continued his strong play with 15 points, nine rebounds and five blocks for Miami, while Chris Andersen supplied 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in the win.

"I feel good," Whiteside said. "I come out with some motivation. I'm happy just to be here. We did a really good job on defense. We were aggressive."

Dwyane Wade scored four points with five rebounds and five assists in the first half for the Heat before exiting in the second quarter with a strained left hamstring. He did not return.

Kobe Bryant, Jordan Hill and Ed Davis each deposited 12 points for the Lakers, with Bryant going 3-of-19 from the floor.

Jeremy Lin scored the final five points of a 7-0 run to begin the fourth quarter for the Lakers, the last of which a transition three-point play that cut their deficit to 61-60.

Miami responded with five straight, but Ryan Kelly's corner 3 trimmed it to a one-possession game with under nine minutes left.

The Heat built their lead to six in the closing minute when Bryant dialed one in from deep to close to within 78-75. Luol Deng was denied at the other end, but Bryant's tying effort was short as Miami held on.

"These guys have been working hard in practices, behind the scenes," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. "When you have such a long season, anything can happen."

Each team traded a basket to open the third quarter, then Los Angeles ripped off eight straight points to cut its halftime deficit to 46-44 following Hill's shot from in close.

The Lakers couldn't quite get over the hump, though, as Shawne Williams' 3- pointer put the Heat up 56-48 minutes later. Miami led 61-53 entering the fourth.

"We got off to a terrible start, offensively and defensively," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. "We dug ourselves a hole."

Miami methodically jumped out to an 18-0 lead, holding the Lakers without a point for the first 7:37 of the game. Whiteside made a pair of alley-oop dunks during the surge before Bryant's jumper ended the drought for the Lakers.

Los Angeles' inept offense managed to close the gap to 22-12 after the first, its lowest-scoring quarter of the season.

Bryant knocked down a pair of free throws late in the second to cut the deficit to eight, but Chris Bosh followed with a dunk and Miami held a 44-34 lead at half.

Both teams combined to go 1-for-16 from beyond the arc over the first two quarters.

Game Notes

Miami shot 42.3 percent from the floor and limited LA to 31.5 percent shooting ... There were six total 3-pointers made in the game ... Bosh went 4-of-17 shooting and finished with eight points ... The Lakers scored 22 points off 19 turnovers ... Miami had a 58-40 advantage in the paint.