Heat blows another 4th-quarter lead to lose to Knicks, 124-121,
■ For the first time this season, the Heat lost consecutive games. The first was at the Brooklyn Nets. And the second came on Sunday to the New York Knicks, one of the worst teams in the league.
KNICKS 124, HEAT 121
The Knicks are usually the ultimate panacea for opponents, but not for the Heat, which on Sunday found a way to squander a late lead for a second consecutive game.
Ahead by seven with 4:04 to go, the Heat unraveled against one of the league’s worst teams, falling 124-121 at Madison Square Garden.
Against a dreadful team missing its best player this season (Marcus Morris), the Heat was too permissive defensively, especially around the basket, allowing the Knicks to shoot 52 percent from the field.
New York, down by 10 points after three, scored 40 points in the final quarter, handing the Heat a second consecutive loss for the first time this season. Miami frittered away a late nine-point lead in Friday’s loss at Brooklyn, making this a lost weekend in the Big Apple.
“We just were not able to protect the rim and that is something that has been troubling us of late,” Erik Spoelstra said. “We need to get back to work and find solutions. Our defense is clearly much better than what we’ve shown the last two games.”
Julius Randle’s three gave the Knicks their first lead of the second half at 116-114 with 2:16 to go. James Johnson put the Heat back ahead with a three, but the Knicks went back ahead for good with 1:38 left.
New York fouled Jimmy Butler on a three, and he made the first two free throws but missed the third, leaving the Heat down 122-121 with 21 seconds left.
After the Knicks’ RJ Barrett made one of two free throws, Butler missed a driving layup. Miami retained possession, but Butler’s pass to Bam Adebayo, under the basket, bounced off Adebayo’s stomach with 2.7 seconds left and Barrett again made one of two free throws to account for the final score.
“You can always second guess, because it didn’t go how you want it, but I saw Jimmy with two feet in the paint with a collapsing defense,” Spoelstra said. “We’re not going to design something that’s going to be more creative or better than that.”
Time expired just before Adebayo hit a turnaround three that would have tied the score.
Butler led the way with 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and got help from Adebayo (15 points), Kendrick Nunn (20),
James Johnson (19) and Tyler Herro (15).
But Miami’s defense was far too lax, and the Heat — which led 60-55 at the half and 94-84 after three — returns home at 27-12.
Five takeaways from the loss:
● The defense is at its low point of the season. During most years, it would be unfathomable for the Heat to shoot better than 50 percent in consecutive games against sub-.500 opponents and lose both. But that’s what happened against the Nets and Knicks this weekend.
“We had a good defensive game maybe four times,” Butler said. “Every other time we just outscored opponents. If we’re not making shots, it’s not looking good.”
Several players said this simply comes down to staying in front of the player you’re defending. “A lot more effort has to go into it,” Butler said. “You’ve got to take it personal when somebody scores on you.”
● Teams are abusing the Heat in the basket area. The Heat entered allowing the highest shooting percentage in the league on shots less than five feet from the basket (64.7). New York repeatedly tormented the Heat in the paint with uncontested forays to the basket, put backs and dunks or layups off sharp passes.
New York had 30 makes at the rim after Brooklyn had 25 such baskets against Miami in its last game. Those are two of the highest totals against the Heat in the past five seasons.
● Johnson is making the most of his return to the rotation. For the second game in a row, Spoelstra opted for Johnson as his fourth reserve off the bench, ahead of Kelly Olynyk and Chris Silva.
He hit 6 of 7 from the field and finished with four rebounds and a block to go with the 19 points.
● Butler and Adebayo are rolling offensively. Butler, who had been shooting in the 42 percent range for much of the season (well below his career mark) is 32 for 51 over his past four games after shooting 8 for 15 on Sunday. He’s now at 44 percent for the season.
During this stretch, Butler is doing damage from the midrange, on drives to the basket, in transition and on the free throw line, where he’s 31 for 35 over his past four games. But he missed a key one late Sunday.
But he’s not doing it at all from three-point range, taking only four threes in the past four games and missing all of them.
For the season, Butler is shooting 26.4 percent on threes (24 for 91).
Adebayo, meanwhile, has now scored 75 over his past four while shooting 32 for 41.
● The rookies were a big help. Nunn scored nine of his 20 in the third quarter.
And Herro scored eight points in a two minute stretch early in the fourth to temporarily slow a Knicks rally.
Thanks to Nunn and Herro, Heat rookies are averaging 31.3 points per game this season, most in the league.