NBA Finals 2020: Lakers vs. Heat Game 6 TV Schedule, Live Stream and Odds
October 11, 2020
On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers will have another opportunity to win the NBA title. If they don't, then things are really about to get interesting in the NBA Finals.
The Miami Heat kept their season alive with a 111-108 win in Game 5 on Friday night, thwarting the Lakers' first attempt to win the championship. If the Heat can pull off another victory in Sunday's Game 6, then the series would go to a winner-take-all Game 7, which would be held Tuesday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World.
The Lakers are seeking their first NBA title since 2010 and aiming to avoid becoming the second team in NBA Finals history to blow a 3-1 lead (the 2016 Golden State Warriors are the only team to have done that). Meanwhile, the Heat look to win their first title since winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.
LeBron James was a member of those Heat teams. He also was part of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers squad that erased a 3-1 NBA Finals deficit. Now, he's looking to lead the Lakers to the title, which would be the fourth of his career.
Here's everything else you need to know heading into Sunday's Game 6.
NBA Finals Game 6 Information
Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Live Stream: ESPN3
Odds (via FanDuel): Los Angeles -5
Game 6 Preview
There were probably plenty of people who thought the Lakers were going to win the NBA title on Friday night. And there are likely still a lot who would predict them to still win it, as they have a 3-2 lead following their Game 5 loss.
The Heat know that, but they're not focused on it.
"Everybody counted us out since the beginning of the playoffs," Miami rookie guard Tyler Herro said, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. "We don't really care what people have to say."
If the Heat can rally to beat the Lakers it would be one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history. The Cavaliers may have done it in 2016, but they had James. Miami would be doing it against James.
And the Heat are playing without their starting point guard, as Goran Dragic hasn't been in action since Game 1, when he suffered a plantar tear of his left foot. Forward Bam Adebayo also missed two games due to a neck strain, although he's been back for Games 4 and 5.
Still, Miami remains alive despite facing this adversity. And a big reason for that has been the stellar play of forward Jimmy Butler.
In the past two games, Butler has had a triple-double. He had 35 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists and played 47 of 48 minutes in Game 5. And if the Heat are going to keep playing well, it may require similar performances from Butler.
However, the Lakers have a pair of superstars of their own in James and forward Anthony Davis. And even in defeat, the duo put up big numbers in Game 5, as James had 40 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists and Davis had 28 points and 12 rebounds.
Although Los Angeles lost Game 5, failing to capitalize on some late opportunities, it remains optimistic, considering it's still been playing well.
"You come back, you look at the film, fix your mistakes, then come out in Game 6 remembering how close we were," Davis said, according to NBA.com's Michael C. Wright. "If we don't make our mistakes, we win the game. It's a tough one because we know we had this one in the bag."
With the close, competitive matchups that have taken place in the NBA Finals so far, it's easy to see Sunday's Game 6 going either way. But it would certainly be exciting to see these teams take the court in the NBA bubble one final time for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Tuesday.