Lakers get defensive in 2nd half to beat Heat, end 3-game skid

LOS ANGELES — When it came to the Lakers’ declining defense, “connected” was the buzzword ahead of their matchup against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
Because in their eyes, when they’re in sync and playing defense as a unit, they can compete with any team in the NBA, Coach JJ Redick said.
And in their 117-108 victory over the Heat, they showed exactly what that meant.
After a pedestrian first-half defensive performance, the Lakers turned up their defensive exe