Six straight head-to-head victories didn’t happen! No sweep! Back to the drawing board! A 24-4 run by the Knicks! What happened at FTX Arena Friday night?!
The first-place Miami Heat (47-27) fell short to the New York Knicks (32-42), 111-103. The Heat have now lost three straight games in a row, while New York has won their last two.
What Did We Learn?
The Knicks defense just had no answer when it came to guarding Jimmy Butler. Butler led the way with 30 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Bam Adebayo also stepped up his game, scoring 17 points with nine rebounds. Kyle Lowry also had 17 points on what was his 36th birthday.
Miami outscored the Knicks in the first three quarters of play, 32-25, 26-24, and 30-24. However, you have to give the Knicks credit for coming back and securing the victory.
New York had five double figure scorers: RJ Barrett (18 points), Obi Toppin (15 points), Immanuel Quickley (23 points), Alex Burks (12), and Mitchell Robinson (11). New York smashed the glass with 49 boards, and they weren’t going away. The Knicks had 38 points in the fourth quarter and just looked like a different team. Seventeen three pointers by the Knicks and 22 free throw buckets converted proved to be difference makers for the Knicks.
The Heat committed 25 personal fouls, 15 turnovers, shot 12-21 from the free throw line, and were only fifty percent from the field. If Miami wants to stay No. 1 in the East, they need to do better in those categories. The Heat also need to do better in the fourth quarter.
Next Up
The Heat will welcome another New York squad into Miami on Saturday night, the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets, who are eighth in the East, are currently 0-3 against Miami this season. However, Kyrie Irving has been on a mission lately, averaging 43.8 PPG over his last four games.
Is this the time to shine for Brooklyn? Or, will the Heat answer with a clean sweep?