There will be a sixth game in the 2020 NBA Finals after the Miami Heat denied the Los Angeles Lakers of having a party inside the bubble with a win on Saturday. But will the confetti finally fall in Game 6? Or, will the Heat push the series to a winner-take-all Game 7?

Catch this game live on October 12 at 7:30 am, Manila time.

HOME TEAM: #5 Miami Heat (2-3)

Jimmy Butler was simply sensational in the Heat’s 111-108 win in Game 5. The forward dropped a triple-double on the Lakers, scoring 35 points and added 11 assists and 12 rebounds in 47 minutes. The Heat needed every bit of those numbers to fend off the Lakers, especially the eight points Butler scored in the final three minutes of the ball game, where he went mano y mano with LeBron James.

Butler needed to have a big game like that for the Heat to thwart the Lakers, as Miami has won its two games in this series with him going off. Back in Game 4, Butler stuffed the stat sheets with 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists in 45 minutes. The biggest concern for Miami right now is whether there’s enough gas left in Butler’s tank after averaging 42.7 minutes in the first five games of the Finals. 

Which brings us to Duncan Robinson, who finally exploded in Game 5, where he hit seven 3-pointers and finished with 26 points to provide ample support for Butler. It looks like the bright lights of the Finals are no longer blinding the sharpshooter out of Michigan, as Robinson has drained 13 threes on 44.8 3FG% shooting over the last three games. 

ROAD TEAM: #1 Los Angeles Lakers (3-2)

Will Anthony Davis be 100 percent okay when the Lakers enter Game 6 of this Finals series? Davis went down in the first quarter of Game 5 with an apparent foot injury but was able to return to action after spending time on the bench. Davis managed to collect 28 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks, but an injury like that tends to flare up after a game, so his status will be closely monitored by every Lakers fan.

LeBron James scored 40 points on 15-of-21 shooting in a losing effort. His pass to Danny Green will forever be a source of debates, but what’s not debatable is that Green and the Lakers’ peripheral players should make their shots. Outside of Davis and James, no other Lakers shot over 50 FG% in Game 5. The Lakers had four players coming off the bench but they scored just as many points as the Heat’s Kendrick Nunn, who had 14 in 28 minutes of relief.

In any case, the Lakers can’t afford for James or Davis to have a letdown performance, especially now that momentum is on the side of the stubborn Heat squad. 

PREDICTIONS:

Don’t expect James or Butler to provide the kind of performances they pulled off in Game 5, as both players’ legs are shot. This will be a battle between which bench will have a better offense, and that’s going to be the Lakers’ second unit. Kyle Kuzma, Markieff Morris, and Rajon Rondo all step up in Game 6 and help the Lakers win, 106-102.