The Lakers ended their losing streak with an offensively dominant 117-108 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

Anthony Davis scored 22 points with 11 rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks. LeBron James finished with 22 points, nine assists, five rebounds and two steals. Rui Hachimura contributed 23 points and eight rebounds.

Max Christie went 6-12 from the field and scored 16 points. Austin Reaves had 14 Points and 14 assists. Gabe Vincent had one of his best games as a Laker with 14 points and four assists.

It was an offensively charged start to the first quarter, with both teams scoring a ton. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Tyler Herro made a splash from behind the arc, making all four of his attempts. Rui started shooting well with seven quick points for LA.

The Heat had a shooting percentage of 76% at one point, while LA was at 66%. AD was the first Laker to reach double figures. The Lakers had the lead with 2:21 left, but the Heat kept converting from behind the arc. Miami then closed the quarter with an 8-2 run to take a lead of four.

In the second quarter, LA’s defense was atrocious and their offense was just as bad. The Lakers missed seven shots in a row until Rui stopped the bleeding with a layup.

Gabe followed Hachimura with a much-needed 3-pointer and also did the dirty work making plays and defense. However, as a team, LA struggled with its defensive duties and often looked lost.

Herro went a perfect seven-for-seven from the field, five of which were three-pointers. As the quarter came to a close, he finally missed a shot. There wasn’t much good for the Lakers in this quarter.

At halftime, the Heat were ahead 66-54.

The second half began with the Lakers losing the ball, but shortly afterwards they scored seven goals in a row and reduced the deficit to five. Jaime Jaquez Jr. converted a three-pointer to stop Miami’s confusing start. The Heat continued to increase their lead and went up by double digits again until Austin knocked down a 3-pointer.

Herro missed two attempts from behind the arc. LeBron sank two 3-pointers, and the purple and gold were suddenly only one behind. Miami then went up by eight, and Herro fired up again.

As the quarter came to a close, AD scored four points to give the purple and gold even more offense. They reduced the deficit to two.

Terry Rozier gave the starting signal for Miami with a runner in the lane. Gabe countered by hitting a 3-pointer for the Lakers, giving them the lead. A pass from Austin to Jaxson Hayes for a dunk gave LA a three-point lead. A compliment from Austin to LeBron for an emphatic dunk got everyone excited. This was the first time in a game that the Lakers played better defense and their offense excelled as a result.

An entertaining back and forth developed, with both teams scoring at a high level. A mid-range shot from Alec Burks and a 3-pointer from Nikola Jovic reduced Miami’s deficit to two at halftime.

After a timeout, LeBron scored seven straight points to give the Lakers a nine-point lead. Max sealed the deal with a basket.

Key Takeaways:

Defense is a major Achilles heel for the Lakers. They often leave the shooters wide open, running around and missing orders. They won’t be successful if they can’t string together a few stops.

Gabe Vincent revenge game, baby!

The Lakers’ next game is Friday at 7:30 p.m. PT against the Brooklyn Nets.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.