NBA Thursday: Heat too much for Lakers

This was a fantastic game, but it was also an incredibly weird one. On one end, the Heat couldn’t hit anything outside of 15 feet, but nevertheless lived in the paint. On the other end, the Lakers ran their offense really efficiently ... except for the zillions of times they committed turnovers.

A few quick thoughts:

King James used the TNT spotlight on Thursday night to throw down an array of break-away dunks on his way to a game-high 39 points. The 39-point outburst ranks as his second-highest total against the Lakers in L.A., and he did it on a crisp 17-25 shooting performance while adding eight assists and seven rebounds for good measure.

LBJ looked assertive and dominant at all points in the 99-90 win for the Heat, and his clear command of the contest automatically puts this game near the top of his career list for best L.A. performance.

LBJ pumped in 12 quick points on 6-of-8 shooting in the first quarter to give the Heat a 26-22 lead, and he saved 10 points, three rebounds and three assists for the final period as the Heat closed out the game. To put things in perspective, LeBron hit 8-of-12 shots in the second half and that was a step down from his deadly-efficient first-half performance (9-of-13 FGs). All hail King James.

The Lakers will play 10 of their next 13 games on the road, so there isn’t much time left for the glamour squad to get things turned around this year. The Western Conference has no room for an underachieving team in the playoff bracket, and if things go poorly over the next few weeks it may be time to focus in on the Feb. 21 trade deadline as an endpoint for this experiment out in L.A.

No, I’m not talking about his tremendously inconsistent free-throw shooting. I’m talking about his insufferable brand of comedy that may best be put as family-friendly sitcom version Bob Saget.

“HEY I’D LIKE YOU TO KNOW I DON’T LIKE YOU VERY MUCH BUT I’M ALSO OPPOSED TO USING OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE TO VOICE SUCH OPINIONS SO HERE WE ARE.”

“WHY CAN’T YOU CUT UP YOUR OWN STEAKS? THIS IS AN EARNEST QUESTION AND BECAUSE THIS MAY BE MY ONLY OPPORTUNITY IN LIFE TO SPEAK WITH YOU, I’M TAKING THE CHANCE NOW.”

It’s never a good time to air ball a free throw, but doing so in the final two minutes of a two-point game that everyone who remotely cares about basketball is watching is particularly rough. I hope Dwight is ready for the backlash he’s going to receive.

“NO NO NO NO I WILL NOT SIGN ON FOR THE BUCKET LIST 2.”

That or Jack’s having having PTSD after LeBron went on a dunk rampage during the first half.

We’ll keep you posted as this dramatic match of stamina goes well into the night.

And Miami certainly didn’t have much trouble turning them into easy dunks. You know, I’m not sure which team is the one on the tail end of back-to-back anymore. But I do know which team’s defense is struggling here.

And then later there was this LeBron destruction of Earl Clark.

If I could put what they’re doing into words, I think it would be “thhhbbbbppbppbppbpbppbppbppbpbpbppbpbpbppbpbt.”

Los Angeles led 47-43 at the half despite out shooting Minnesota 50 percent to 36 percent in the first half. The Clippers turned the ball over 12 times in the first half which helped keep the Timberwolves close. Los Angeles put the game away in the fourth quarter where they outscored Minnesota 22-14.

Oof, he couldn’t even tickle the twine from below. Talk about a momentum-killer.

Don’t worry, at least he caught some rim on a later attempt. That counts for something, right?

Do you need to know the background behind this? No, of course not. It’s Kenny Smith slapping Charles Barkley with a white glove while dressed in elegant evening wear - what more do you need?

I wish all sports debates had to be started by slapping one another with a white glove.

I’ll really be impressed if he can pull of my signature “dribble-the-ball-off-your-foot-into-the-backcourt-for-a-backcourt-violation” move.

Paul is averaging 16.8 points and 9.7 assists on 48 percent shooting on the season.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Paul was getting his knee worked on during Thursday’s shootaround.

The Knicks turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter, but it hardly came back to bite them as they held a 29-17 lead going into the second. Anthony scored 11 points as New York shot 61 percent from the floor, went 5-of-8 from three-point range, then held Detroit to a 40 percent field goal percentage.

Gasol has struggled with the transition to Mike D’Antoni’s offensive system, averaging 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds a game, the lowest numbers of his 13-year NBA career.

The game will be broadcast nationally on TNT at 8 p.m. ET.

Don’t call it a comeback, at least not yet.

When the season started, many circled this game as a potential NBA Finals preview. Three months later, the stakes for LA are much higher, as they need every win they can get just to move themselves back into the playoff picture.

For the first time since 2011, a regular-season NBA game will be played in London, and the contest will be broadcast nationally on NBATV.