The New York Knicks prepared to host the Miami Heat. They came into the game with a 3-game win streak which placed them all alone in 4th place in the Eastern Conference. This season, they have not won more than three consecutive games, so they were aiming to break that streak. The Heat came into the game having lost 6 straight and fell to 8th place. Both teams were desperate to leave with a victory, but the Heat proved to have wanted it more.
Starting the game off slowly, the Knicks went 0-for-6 from the field. It took them nearly 4 minutes to put up a basket with a reverse layup from Julius Randle. The Heat were only up 8-6 about halfway through the quarter. The Knicks took their first lead after an Elfrid Payton free-throw with 3 minutes remaining. However, they would not hold that lead for long. The Heat eventually regained the advantage and went into the second quarter up 23-16.
Early in the second, the Heat took a 9-point lead. The Knicks were not settling for that as they went on a 16-0 run. As Bam Adebayo drove to the rim, Nerlens Noel blocked his shot. The Knicks went back the other way. Immanuel Quickley knocked one in from downtown to bring the team within 2. The other Knicks rookie, Obi Toppin – who just recently got more playing time, made a finger roll layup to tie the game at 27. With a minute left in the half, the Knicks took their largest lead of the game. They went into the break ahead 43-36.
To start the third quarter, Jimmy Butler came out scoring 5 points consisting of a layup, jump shot, and free-throw. It was a tie game at 45. Tom Thibodeau was not happy and called a timeout. After talking it over, Randle’s layup gave the Knicks their lead back. The Heat eventually put their foot down. They took an 8-point advantage late in the third. By the quarter’s end, their lead stretched to 11. It was a 75-64 game going into the fourth.
The Heat opened up the fourth quarter making 4 of their first 9 shots. The Knicks found themselves in a 15 point hole. They started to lose their composure as their offense could not keep up with the Heat’s explosive defense. In the end, the Knicks had to take shots from three and were forced to play along the perimeter. Of those 10 shots from behind the arc, they only made 5. The closest the Knicks were able to come was within 8 at the 5:37 mark. The Heat walked out of this one with a 98-88 win.
The victory snapped Butler and company’s 6-game losing streak. Butler led the team with 27 points. Behind him was Adebayo with 20 points. On the Knicks side of the ball, Randle was their silver lining. After returning from a contusion in his right thigh, he was able to put up 22 points. Though he did not seem like himself, he managed to get it done. Rose was second behind Randle, finishing with 16 points.
Throughout the entire season, Randle has shown that he is a leader. If the Knicks ever needed any confirmation, they certainly got it tonight. He took accountability for what went wrong in the loss.
“I have to come in and do a better job at controlling the glass. Whatever it takes,’ Randle said. “I put it on me, and I’ll come back better.”
Up Next:
The Knicks will be headed to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Wednesday, March 31st at 8:00pm.
The Heat will travel to Indiana to face the Pacers on Wednesday, March 31st at 7:00pm.
