Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat entered the season projected to rank among the league’s defensive powerhouses, with the two-time MVP joining forces with Bam Adebayo.

Instead, defense has been arguably the aspiring Eastern Conference contender’s biggest concern thus far, as was evident during Monday’s 138-117 blowout road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lakers stars Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves had their way with Miami throughout the night, prompting ridicule and a blunt response from Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

Heat’s Defensive Woes Take Center Stage in Lakers Rout

Four of Miami’s five starters finished with 15-plus points, led by Antetokounmpo’s 30-point, 12-rebound double-double, as the team shot 38-for-75 (50.7%), including 16-for-41 from 3-point range (39%). While those numbers would typically be a recipe for success, the Heat couldn’t contain LA’s electric backcourt.

They trailed by 7 points at halftime despite scoring 72 points in the first half, as Dončić tallied 24. The third quarter, which LA won 32-21, turned a competitive game into a blowout. The Lakers opened the second half with an 11-0 run, during which Dončić scored 6 points and assisted on a Walker Kessler layup.

Reaves then pushed LA past the 100-point mark with a layup at the 4:02 mark before the Purple and Gold extended their lead to as many as 24 points in the final frame.

Dončić and Reaves finished with a combined 69 points on blistering 24-for-39 shooting (61.5%), with the NBA community taking notice of how effortlessly many of their baskets came.

“The Miami Heat defense being [expletive] is the most confusing thing in sports history,” one fan wrote, struggling to make sense of what they had just watched.

Basketball Network’s Damien Peters questioned Miami’s effort, taking aim at the franchise’s renowned team culture:

“The Miami Heat are obsessed with their offseason conditioning drills, but their players can’t even get back on defense.”

Most of the Lakers’ damage came in the half court, as they outscored the Heat 60-38 in the paint, with Kessler supplying 15 points and 15 rebounds. Dončić, however, drew the most attention with his offensive display.

“Luka is looking at every Heat player and saying you’re not better than me tonight,” content creator Ahmed/The Ears pointed out.

Even a Miami fan page had to give the Lakers superstar his flowers.

“Ya Luka Magic is real smh,” Heat Nation admitted.

The closing moments delivered one more sting. Bronny James logged 1 minute, blocking a 3-pointer by Ryan Conwell with the Heat trailing by 22 before scoring the night’s final basket on a driving layup.

“Seeing Bronny check in while your team is getting blown out gotta be one of the most demoralizing things you could see,” The Heat Realm lamented.

Spoelstra’s postgame assessment zeroed in on just how far Miami’s defense had fallen short:

“What wasn’t I trying to tell my defense? Seriously — I’m not going to go on a rant right now, it’s between the coach and the team … we had no chance … you score 72 [in the first half], you’re not expecting to be down.”

That frustration came on the same day Spoelstra stressed that his team’s defensive prowess “can’t just be on paper” or “be reputation,” but rather must be “backed up by real action.”

Monday’s defeat snapped the Heat’s two-game winning streak, dropping them to 2-5. Antetokounmpo and Co. now rank 27th in the NBA in defensive rating (119.8), with four games remaining on their grueling West road trip.