Los Angeles @ Miami preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 6, 2017 ) Miami 100, L.A. Lakers 127

The Los Angeles Lakers looked impressive in three straight wins against teams at the bottom of the standings in their respective conferences. They will try to make it four straight wins when the level of competition goes up in a visit to the playoff-hopeful Miami Heat on Thursday.

The Lakers knocked off Dallas and Sacramento before cruising past the Eastern Conference-worst Atlanta Hawks 123-104 on Monday to match last season's win total at 26 with 22 games left in the regular season. "The camaraderie we had this year from last year is a lot better," Los Angeles small forward Brandon Ingram told reporters. "I think guys came in and we worked extra hard, whether it was individually, whether it was as a team, we just thought we could figure it out sooner or later. And we came in every single day and worked at our game and then we started to figure it out." The Heat are sitting in the No. 8 spot in the East but are looking to move up during a stretch of seven of eight at home. Miami already won the first two in that stretch, including a 102-101 triumph over Philadelphia on Tuesday.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles), FS Sun (Miami)

ABOUT THE LAKERS (26-34): Ingram is one of several young players stepping up of late, a list that includes rookie Lonzo Ball. The highly-touted UCLA product is shooting 36.3 percent from the floor on the season but went 4-of-4 from the field, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line on Monday. "If the only goal was strictly to win every single night, then you take away from some of the development of our young players, and it is showing now why it was so important early in the year to let some of those guys play through mistakes and finish games," Lakers coach Luke Walton told reporters. "Because now we are getting to see the confidence level they are playing down the stretch of games and closing games out."

ABOUT THE HEAT (32-29): Dwyane Wade struggled in his first five games after coming over from Cleveland but turned back the clock on Tuesday with 27 points in 25 minutes, including the go-ahead basket. "He's really been working at it, trying to get in shape, get in rhythm," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters of Wade. "He knew he'd have a little bit of a different role with us than he did in Cleveland but (Monday) in practice was the first day I recognized him. I thought that was the guy I remembered, and he did six or seven things in practice where everybody stopped and looked around and said, 'OK that's a little bit different than what we've seen all year long.' But he's really been working at it." Wade, Tyler Johnson and Goran Dragic combined to go 24-of-43 from the floor out of the Heat backcourt on Tuesday.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Heat C Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) returned from a six-game absence on Tuesday and managed nine points in 25 minutes off the bench.

2. The Lakers reached a buyout agreement with SF Corey Brewer on Wednesday.

3. The home team took each of the last five in the series.

PREDICTION: Heat 109, Lakers 102