The Miami Heat announced earlier tonight that Norman Powell will miss tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers due to the groin injury he’s been dealing with. Powell, who was listed as questionable beforehand, will miss his third consecutive game.
The Lakers, meanwhile, downgraded starting center Deandre Ayton to out after he was previously listed as probable, due to back spasms. Ayton also missed the second half of their game last against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
Here’s the rest of the injury report and game preview:
INJURY REPORT
HEAT
Norman Powell: Out – Groin
Nikola Jovič: Available – Hip Contusion
Tyler Herro: Out – Foot
Kasparas Jakučionis: Out – Groin
Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team
LAKERS
Deandre Ayton: Out – Back Spasms
Luka Doncic: Available – Leg, Finger
LeBron James: Out – Sciatica
Gabe Vincent: Out – Ankle
Game date, time and location: Sunday, Nov. 2, 9:30 p.m. EST, Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun (Local), Spectrum Sports Net (California)
Radio: WQAM 104.3 & The Heat Audio Experience, WAQI 710 AM & The Heat Spanish Radio Network
VITALS: The Miami Heat (3-2) and Los Angeles Lakers (4-2) meet for the first of two matchups this season. The Heat are 34-40 all-time versus the Lakers during the regular season, including 23-14 in home games and 11-26 in road games. Miami has won seven of the last 10 matchups against the Lakers. The two teams met twice in the 2024-2025 regular season, (a 134-93 home win for the Heat last December and a 117-108 road loss in January). A lot has changed since those games, which included Jimmy Butler (now a Golden State Warrior), Anthony Davis (now a Dallas Maverick) and no Luka Doncic or Norman Powell at that point.
Betting Lines (via DraftKings)
Spread: Heat +4.5 (-102), Lakers -4.5 (-118)
Moneyline: Heat +164, Lakers -198
Total points scored: 234.5 (over and under both at -110)
PROJECTED STARTERS
HEAT
G Davion Mitchell
G Pelle Larsson
C Kel’el Ware
F Andrew Wiggins
F Bam Adebayo
LAKERS
G Luka Doncic
G Austin Reaves
C Jarred Vanderbilt
F Marcus Smart
F Rui Hachimura
QUOTABLE
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra: “We were down 15. Did I want go to the zone? No. Did I want to go to a full-court press? But, they were, they created that separation, but, like I said, that group was flying around. Wiggs and Dru were pretty disruptive, Jaime was disruptive in that as well. So, it allowed us to get back into the game, and it was a game, you know. The takeaway for our locker room is you can win games even when multiple guys don’t necessarily play well.”
lexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at toledoalexander22@gmail.com. Twitter: @tropicalblanket
Another Jaime Jaquez Jr game? Keys to beating Luka Doncic’s Lakers
Will LeBron James ever face the Miami Heat again?
The Heat’s new star has found his joy in Miami
The best shooter in the NBA plays for… the Miami Heat?
