ORLANDO, Fla. _ Maybe there is some magic in the home games here, even if no one is really at home.
The Miami Heat won Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, their first home game of the championship series, to cut into the Los Angeles Lakers' series lead and make it 2-1. The Heat's 115-104 win was led by an inspired performance by Jimmy Butler, who scored 40 points while making 14 of 17 shots from the field and notched a triple-double with 13 assists and 11 rebounds.
The Lakers trailed for most of the game. While LeBron James led the team with 25 points, the next two leading scorers came off the bench with Markieff Morris and Kyle Kuzma each scoring 19. Anthony Davis, who got into foul trouble early, scored only 15 points with five rebounds and three assists.
The Lakers committed 19 turnovers to only 12 by the Heat, with James committing eight and Davis five. They had 10 in the first quarter.
As if they hadn't heeded their own warnings, the Lakers fell behind early. Their start was fine _ at least for the first play _ a lob to Dwight Howard for a score off the opening tip. Then they scored only seven points in the next 7 { minutes. Miami capitalized and took a 13-point lead for the second time this series.
A flurry of turnovers from the Lakers' superstars contributed. James and Davis combined for eight turnovers in the first quarter. Davis picked up two fouls and didn't score, spending a significant chunk of the first quarter on the bench.
Midway through the third quarter, James sat on the floor with an exasperated look on his face and his hands raised in protest while Davis stood near him, both of them watching the break go the other way. Tyler Herro scored at the other end to give Miami a 14-point lead as the overmatched Heat threatened to ruin any designs the Lakers had on a sweep.
There were many more moments after that point, though, when the Lakers could have taken control of the game.
The Lakers cut the Heat lead to six multiple times in the third quarter. They tied the score at 89 in the fourth. But from that point on, the Heat fed off their own energy and confounded the Lakers with their zone defense, twice trapping James on drives during which he was called for traveling.
When Kuzma, who'd been productive all game, missed a three-pointer with four minutes left and the Lakers trailing 101-95, James looked deflated.
The Heat sealed their victory on a floater by Butler with 1:09 left in the game to put the Heat ahead by nine points. Butler sauntered back toward his teammates, the game out of the Lakers' reach.
