Lakers Make Marcus Smart Announcement During Heat Game

The Oklahoma State product recorded his 1,00th career steal when he swiped the ball from Heat big man Kel'el Ware and assisted a Rui Hachimura dunk on the other end at the start of the game. He's now the 21st active player with that many steals, per Basketball Reference.

Los Angeles later posted a clip of Smart blocking Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s layup in the second quarter as well. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder finished the first half with five points (2-5 FG, 1-3 3-point) as well as two rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one rejection in 14 minutes.

Lakers Surviving Without LeBron James

Los Angeles entered Sunday 4-2 despite the absence of future Hall of Famer LeBron James (sciatica), who won't play until mid-November, per ESPN's Shams Charania. Fellow superstar Luka Doncic has scored enough for both of them thus far, as he came into the Heat game averaged 45.3 points on 58.4 percent shooting (35.1 percent 3-point) over three contests.

Meanwhile, guard Austin Reaves has been the Lakers' most consistent presence, as he averaged 32 points on 50.4 percent shooting (36.2 percent 3-point) with nine assists and 1.7 steals over six games. The team's role players have also stepped up, as forward Jake LaRavia scored 27 points (10-11 FG, 5-6 3-point) in a 116-115 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 29 and had 15 points (6-7 FG, 2-3 3-point) across 16 minutes in the first half of the Miami matchup. Backup center Jaxson Hayes also notched 13 points (6-6 FG, 1-1) 3-point in that half with starter Deandre Ayton (back) sidelined.

Up next for Los Angeles is a road contest against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night at 10:00 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on NBA TV.