Melo absent as Knicks

AP

MIAMI — Carmelo Anthony spent the first half on the bench and presumably watched the second half from the locker room. Apparently, Anthony is even confused about his role when he doesn’t play.

His teammates, however, knew exactly what to do with both Anthony and Derrick Rose unavailable on Friday; defend, move the ball and compete. Sometimes, it’s that simple.

The Knicks threw a monkey wrench into the Miami Heat’s playoff plans with an impressive 98-94 victory. The win improved the Knicks record to 29-47 while also hurting their chances of improving their position for the NBA Draft Lottery.

Miami, which eliminated the Knicks from playoff contention on Wednesday, was trying to reach .500 after starting the season 11-30. Instead, the loss dropped Miami to 37-39 overall but the Heat remains a half-game ahead of Chicago for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

With Anthony sidelined with a lower back injury and Rose held out, Jeff Hornacek started Ron Baker and Sasha Vujacic while making Kristaps Porzingis the focal point of the offense. Porzingis finished with 22 points but only produced one fourth quarter basket. Baker and Vujacic combined for 19 points and 13 assists.

Willy Hernangomez more than held his own against Miami center Hassan Whiteside. The Knicks rookie had 10 points and 12 rebounds while Whiteside finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds.

Goran Dragic scored 22 to lead the Heat, which struggled all night to make shots. Miami converted just 8 of 33 3-point attempts. The Knicks attempted just 16, making six.

The Knicks had more fight to them against a team that has everything to play for. Hornacek’s makeshift lineup