Knicks wilt vs. Heat, get swept away by Miami
The Knicks had the opportunity, for the first time in their unexpectedly strong season, to climb three games over .500. They had a chance to win their fourth straight for the first time in over a calendar year.
And despite the paucity of offense, it looked good for New York until halftime. That’s when Jimmy Butler turned to alpha dog and gobbled up the Knicks, who fell Monday night to the
Heat, 98-88, without much of a fight in the second half.
In the words of birthday boy Clyde Frazier, who turned 76 on Monday, the Knicks were out-muscled and out-hustled. Julius Randle blamed himself for the rebounding disparity and vowed improvement in the next game – which should be easier Wednesday against the dreadful Timberwolves.
“We just have to scrap and play harder, which is really what it comes down to. Rebounding is all effort and energy,” Randle said. “I have to do a better job of controlling the glass. Whatever it takes. I’ll put it on me. I’ll come back better.”
Butler finished with 27 points over just 34 minutes, carrying the Heat to a three-game season sweep of New York and his former coach Tom Thibodeau. It snapped Miami’s six-game losing streak.
The Knicks were owned on the glass, which Bam Adebayo cleaned to the tune of 17 rebounds (including seven offensive). It was indicative of a ho-hum effort by the home team.
“When you give a team 13 offensive rebounds, you’re going to pay for it,” Thibodeau said. “A lot of them we’re multiple-effort type plays where they’d tip it back and chase it down. And we had a couple of opportunities to scratch back in but the second shot really hurt us.”
Randle returned to New York’s lineup after missing the previous game with a thigh contusion, dropping a respectable 22 points with eight boards. But the Knicks (2423) shot just 41 percent, including 10-for-36 from beyond the arc, and managed a paltry 15 assists as a team.
It turned the wrong way for the Knicks in the third quarter, when Butler took over and the Heat turned a seven-point deficit into an 11-point advantage.
That was all the difference in such a low-scoring game.
“We had a seven-point lead at the half and we came out those first five minutes in the second half and they got us,” Thibodeau said.
The first half was more reminiscent of the Heat-Knicks battles over 20 years ago, at least on the scoreboard. The Knicks had zero assists in the first quarter and just four in the second, but still led, 43-36, heading into the break.
With Mitchell Robinson out indefinitely because of a broken foot, Nerlens Noel admirably filled the role of rim protector. He appeared to injure his shoulder in the first quarter but still managed to block three shots in the first half, including a dunk attempt from Miami rookie Precious Achiuwa.
Noel ranks in the NBA’s top-5 in blocked shots. He finished with four on Monday but couldn’t cope with Adebayo.
“Bam is a terrific player, a great effort player,” Thibodeau said. “That’s a talent. That’s an All-Star type player.”