Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat live stream
Mar 30, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle (30) competes for rebound against Miami Heat centre Hassan Whiteside (21) during second half at Staples Center. USA TODAY Sports / Richard Mackson

The Los Angeles Lakers (11-20) are on the final leg of their seven-game road trip with a stop at South Beach, Florida to face the Miami Heat (9-20) at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Thursday evening.

Prior to the game, Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, who helped both franchises win championships, will have his No. 32 jersey retired by the Miami Heat. Earlier this week, the Lakers announced that they will unveil a 9-foot statue of Shaq on March 24 at the Staples Center ahead of a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Both teams have lost 20 games each and are quickly falling off the radar for a playoff berth. While the Lakers have gone from a respectable 10-10 record to losing ten of their last 11 games, the Heat have lost eight of their last 10 games and are destined to return to the lottery after claiming the third seed last season.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat: Battle of young teams

Miami is coming off possibly their most heart-breaking defeat of the season, a 136-130 double-overtime loss to divisional rivals the Orlando Magic on Tuesday. During that game, Hassan Whiteside and Tyler Johnson registered career-highs of 32 points apiece but the Heat couldn't get the needed win. "This was the most disappointing loss of the season because we had so many chances to win," said Whiteside, who signed a four-year, $US98 million ($AU135 million) contract extension over the summer.

Miami Heat president Pat Riley recently admitted that his team is going through a transition phase, in the aftermath of Dwayne Wade's exit. "You can use the word rebuild. But we're going to do it fast. We love our young core, and what we have is flexibility. You need flexibility in this league to be able to move quickly. You can't get paralysed by the (salary) cap. I think the No. 1 asset we have right now is flexibility," the former Lakers coach told a Miami radio show, per ESPN.

Meanwhile, the Lakers are also coming off a narrow defeat in Charlotte after leading the Hornets by a 73-59 margin at halftime. The Purple & Gold had a fourth quarter meltdown which saw them score only 17 points, allowing Kemba Walker (28 points, 10 assists) & Co. to close out the game by a 117-113 margin.

The most recent loss doesn't help the Lakers' playoff chances but the team was also dealt a severe blow with the injury to key forward Larry Nance Jr., who is out indefinitely after an MRI scan Wednesday revealed a bone bruise on his left knee, as reported earlier. Coach Luke Walton acknowledged that the team would miss Nance. "That's going to be a tough loss. Larry gives us versatility. He is probably our smartest player in terms of reading defences and the ability to cover for people."

Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat live stream: How to watch

Start time: 8 PM (ET), 5 PM (PT), 11 AM on Friday (AEST), 12 PM (AEDT)
On TV: TNT (USA), ESPN 2 (Australia)
Live Stream: NBA League Pass (Global), Watch ESPN (Australia)

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