Lonzo Ball Stuffs Stat Sheet in Lakers' Win over Heat; Isaiah Thomas Drops 29

The Los Angeles Lakers continued their strong second half of the season with a 131-113 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday.

Isaiah Thomas scored a season-high 29 points to help lead the Lakers (27-34) to their fourth straight victory since the All-Star break. Lonzo Ball finished with eight points, seven assists, six rebounds and six steals in his first start since Jan. 13.

The Heat (32-30) remain in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.

Ball had missed more than a month with a knee injury. He had played two games prior to Thursday, coming off the bench in each. He finally got the start and came through with a game-high plus-24 on the floor.

He stayed within himself, only taking five shots all game, but he was exactly what the team needed.

Of course, he got a lot of help from the rest of the Lakers offense in this one.

Julius Randle was the star of the first half, exploding for 21 of his 25 total points, including this up-and-under finish going one-on-three:

Josh Hart, who is out with a hand injury, was impressed by the performance:

The Lakers scored 40 points in the second quarter and tallied 73 points in the first half behind 63 percent shooting from the field. Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel joked about the Heat defense:

Los Angeles' offense remained unstoppable in the second half, but it was Thomas who stole the show from there.

The point guard scored 11 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, knocking down six total threes while adding six assists. His play helped extend the lead and prevent any possible comeback from the Heat.

Shooting 16-of-29 from three-point range as a team also went a long way. It was the seventh straight game Los Angeles reached 110 points and the third time topping 120 since the All-Star break.

Dwyane Wade continued his hot play with 25 points off the bench for Miami. The degree of difficult was particularly high on one of his made field goals:

"

.@DwyaneWade  from behind the backboard! pic.twitter.com/cSwkH70Gyc

— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 2, 2018"

The veteran was one of six players in double figures for the home team, but it was the lack of defense that made a difference in the loss.

The Lakers will complete their four-game road trip Saturday with a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat will also have a day off before taking on the Detroit Pistons.