Luka Doncic gets an early message from Bam Adebayo ahead of Lakers-Heat showdown

Bam Adebayo has a plan for slowing Luka Doncic, and he shared it before the Miami Heat headed to Los Angeles. The Heat face the Lakers on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena, the first stop on a five-game West Coast trip.Doncic is averaging 36.2 points in his first five games, which gives Miami plenty to solve. The Slovenian star also scored 37 in the Lakers’ 112-95 loss at Golden State on Oct. 30. The Heat opened 0-4 but have won two straight, and Adebayo kept his message short and simple.What did Bam Adebayo say about guarding Luka Doncic?Bam Adebayo told reporters on Sunday how Miami will handle Luka Doncic, and the plan is not complicated. “We’re just going to try and make him make difficult shots,” he said. Miami wants Doncic to see two defenders and think before acting, and the goal is to get other Lakers to miss. Adebayo added other teams around the league do the same thing.Miami has the personnel to try it. Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo anchor the Heat defense, and Doncic is also averaging 7.6 assists and 6.8 rebounds, so sending help is not a clean fix. The Lakers were 4-2 before Sunday’s game against Toronto. A win in Los Angeles would give Miami a boost after its 0-4 start and extend its two-game streak.Can the Lakers hold up when Doncic sits?Miami may not need a perfect plan if Los Angeles keeps giving ground when Doncic rests. The Lakers have been outscored 164-119 in the 60 minutes and 41 seconds Doncic has sat across five appearances. The figure leaves out the Oct. 28 game against the Clippers, which Doncic missed with back tightness. The Lakers won it 103-87, and Collin Sexton scored 21.The Warriors game showed the gap. Los Angeles was plus-9 during Doncic’s 37 minutes and 21 seconds and minus-26 over the other 10:39. Golden State’s bench outscored the Lakers’ reserves 50-7, and Sexton went 0-for-6. Austin Reaves had eight turnovers, six of them with Doncic on the floor, and the team gave it away 22 times in all.Coach JJ Redick was direct afterward. “Got to figure the turnover thing out,” he told reporters.With Doncic on the floor, the Lakers have a 130.7 offensive rating and a plus-17.9 net rating. Adebayo’s plan fits that split. Make the star work, then see if the supporting cast can make Miami pay.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.