The Miami Heat defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 115-104, at Orlando on Sunday in Game 3 of the 2020 NBA Finals. The Lakers now hold a 2-1 series lead.

The Lakers won the first two games of the series rather easily and all signs pointed to another easy victory in Game 3 as long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis kept playing as they did in the first two contests. However, neither was able to repeat recent performances and the Heat, carried by an excellent Jimmy Butler, also showed marked improvements on both ends of the court. The Heat led by three points at the end of the first quarter (26-23) and the Lakers kept things close, being down by four at the break and by just five points before the start of the fourth quarter. Miami pulled away for good in the final 12 minutes, and a 30-24 score in the fourth quarter lifted them to a huge 11-point victory that kept them alive in the 2020 NBA Finals.

Jimmy Butler was the star of the night for the Heat, as the star forward ended with 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists across 45 minutes -- Butler already registered double-digit assists in Game 2 and is excelling as a playmaker. No other Heat player surpassed the 20-point mark, but they didn't need to do it -- Tyler Herro and Kelly Olynyk each had 17 points, while Duncan Robinson chipped in with 13 points and Jae Crowder added 12.

LeBron James came close to a triple-double once again since he ended with 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but he also committed eight turnovers and wasn't able to carry the Lakers when it mattered the most. Anthony Davis, who surpassed the 30-point plateau in each of the first two games, "only" contributed 15 points with five boards. Kyle Kuzma and Markieff Morris each contributed 19 points off the bench while logging 23 and 25 minutes, respectively.