After 25 of 29 days on the road, the Lakers reset their objectives, examined their offense and defense, and assessed their effort. They found potential, but not much competition recently.

Recheck that list before continuing with fixes. Wednesday’s homecoming turned into a 110-96 defeat to a Miami Heat squad sans All-Star Jimmy Butler due to mistakes and wasted chances.

The Lakers (17-18) shot 4 for 30 from 3-point range and committed 22 turnovers, highlighting the issues that contributed to them losing seven of their previous nine road games.

Coach Darvin Ham said the club needs to be aware and competitive to turn around a season that seemed to flatten out and fall short of early-season expectations. Last season, the Lakers reached the Western Conference finals and won the first In-Season Tournament, boosting playoff expectations.

“Everyone is consciously competitive, whether in uniform, active, or inactive. It’s irrelevant. You play NBA, Ham said. “You’re expected to do a lot consistently. Focus on the tiny things, adjust some schematics, and play hard and give an effort.”

ιnjury and lineup changes have left the Lakers seeking for an identity amid inconsistent results and a four-game losing skid. Wednesday night’s ninth defeat in 12 games made matters worse.

D’Angelo Russell (tailbone bruιse), Rui Hachimura (calf), and Gabe Vincent (ankle) were out, so the Lakers started Cam Reddish and Austin Reaves, who earned his first start since Nov. 8.

“There’s real-life NBA circumstances sometimes that disrupt the continuity that you were hoping for,” Ham added. “Our biggest thing is that no matter who is in the lineup, as long as we play with energy, effort, and discipline for as many as 48 minutes, we can live with the results.”

Lakers struggled to score in the first half against Miami’s zone defense. Turnovers (15 before halftime, 10 in the first quarter) also slowed their start to a month of home games.

LeBron James’ rare off-night didn’t help. He scored 12 points on 6-of-18 shooting, a season low. Anthony Davis scored 29 points, 17 rebounds, and five blocked shots, and Reaves added 24 points and eight assists, but the Heat’s balanced аssаult, costly blunders, and sloppy passes won.

Tyler Herro led Miami with 21 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while former UCLA standout Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 16 points and eight rebounds. Nikola Jovic (eight rebounds) and Bam Adebayo scored 15 points apiece, while five players scored in double digits, including former UCLA standout Kevin Love (10 points, season-high 14 rebounds).

With Davis’ 12 third-quarter points, the Lakers rallied from halfway to come within 70-67. He alone hauled the Lakers back into the game with six straight points in the last two minutes. In the fourth quarter, the Heat led by five after leading by 12 in the first half.

Despite without Butler, the Heat outscored the Lakers 10-3 in the fourth to take a 10-point lead (84-74) early. Lakers didn’t threаten again.

In the fourth quarter, Miami shot 14 for 24, including 6 for 11 from 3-point range, after shooting 39.1% in the first three. Robinson scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.