LeBron leads Heat past Lakers

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Lakers finally got their first look at the revamped Miami Heat, and the defending NBA champions might be a little bit disturbed by what they saw.

LeBron James had 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, hitting a season-high five three-pointers, as the Heat thrived on the holiday stage in a 96-80 victory over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers yesterday.

Chris Bosh had 24 points and 13 rebounds and Dwyane Wade added 18 points despite a sore knee as the Heat (23-9) won for the 14th time in 15 games.

"Offensively, it's probably the most trust and the most poise we've played [with] this season," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Although both teams called the game a television curiosity rather than a potential NBA Finals preview, it clearly meant something to James, who had his third triple-double with Miami and the 31st of his career. He also outplayed Bryant again in his second straight Christmas win at Staples Center, punctuating the win with a good bit of mutual trash talk in the final minutes.

"Just asked him what he got for Christmas," James said.

"We're not trying to make a statement to anyone," he said of the victory. "We're trying to show each other that we can play at a high level. We're happy because we got better today."

Bryant and Pau Gasol scored 17 points each for the Lakers (21-9), who scored 14 points in the first quarter and 16 in the fourth. Lamar Odom added 14 points and nine rebounds. The Lakers have lost two straight at home after winning five in a row on the road.

James played a patient game, even after a technical foul near halftime for an under-the-basket scuffle with Lakers defensive stopper Ron Artest. He shoved Artest after the Laker wrapped nearly his entire arm around James' neck while battling for rebounding position. "I was in a WWE headlock, and I was trying to get out of it," James said.

James' teammates contributed enough to keep the Heat comfortably ahead, with Bosh playing an outstanding first half and Mario Chalmers contributing 13 points in a reserve role.

"It's like these games mean more to our opponents than they do to us," Bryant said. "I think we need to get that straight, play with more focus, put more [emphasis] on these games. I don't like it . . . We know what we're capable of doing, and that's part of the problem."

Bryant, who picked up his third technical foul in two games, was visibly displeased with his teammates throughout the second half. He believes the problems start in practice. "This is serious stuff,'' he said. "You don't just have two rings and say, 'That's enough. We're satisfied with what we've got.' I'm not going to let that slide."

Coach Phil Jackson dislikes the Lakers' annual spot on the Christmas schedule, and perhaps for reasons beyond the season: They fell to 4-8 on Christmas since 1999, including last season's one-sided loss to James' Cleveland Cavaliers.