HEAT COOL DOWN KNICKS
MIAMI ROUT SNAPS STREAK AT FOUR
MIAMI — South Florida is known for its Cuban sandwiches, stone crabs and seafood ceviche, but the Knicks got handed a slice of humble pie Monday night by the Heat.
The Knicks took their talents and four-game winning streak to South Beach and got roasted in a collapse reminiscent of last season with their normally trusty bench failing them.
After building an early seven-point lead, the Knicks fell apart when the reserves entered as the Heat staged a murderous 23-2 run late in the first quarter and blew the Knicks out of American-Airlines Arena in a 95-78 stinker.
“Games like this can make the group stronger,’’ rookie phenom Kristaps Porzingis said. “We know we got to stick together. That was a bad game. We can’t be sad, got to keep our heads high. My brother has a quote: ‘Champions have short memories.’ We got to forget this game.’’
With Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh each scoring 16 points to lead five Heat players in double-figures, Miami showed why many think it can be a sleeper team in the East. Miami mounted a 52-30 halftime lead and the Knicks never closed within single-digits in the second half.
“Kristaps-mania’’ sti l l won’t slow, though. Porzingis had a bad start, didn’t even have too good a game, but still finished with big numbers — 20 points (on 7-for-18 shooting) and 14 rebounds in a career-high 37 minutes. But the Knicks fell to 8-7 after having won the first two games of this fourgame road trip.
“I don’t want to say we took a step back but took our foot off the gas a little early in the game,’’ said Carmelo Anthony, who inexplicably played a season-high 41 minutes in the rout. “This is something we won’t let linger.’’
The Knicks bench was 0-for-10 in the first half for zero points. The reserves finished the night 4-for-27, with Langston Galloway’s 1-for-9 the most galling. Lou Amundson’s free throws with a minute left in third quarter were the Knicks’ first bench points.
“Our bench didn’t have it tonight,’’ said Anthony, who scored 21 points on 6-for-16 shooting and had four turnovers.
Porzingis hit an array of nifty low-post shots, but did most of his damage after the Knicks were well behind and stayed in for all of garbage time. Only one of his 14 rebounds came off the offensive glass.
Porzingis’ defense was also suspect. He laid off too many of the Heat’s jump shooters and didn’t protect the rim enough. He had two blocks after his seven rejections in Houston. On one play, Bosh made a pump fake and dribbled right by him for a dunk attempt.
“I got the numbers, but I didn’t really do anything in important moments,’’ Porzingis said. “I missed a lot of shots, hook shots, jumpers I usually make, pretty close to the basket.’’
Galloway was scoreless until the final minute and his backup backcourt partner Jerian Grant didn’t score. The Knicks also shot 4-for24 from 3-point land and shot 32.2 percent overall. The Heat packed the paint and the Knicks couldn’t take advantage from deep.
“We did a few things right and a lot of things wrong,’’ center Robin Lopez said. “We didn’t have a sense of consistency.’’
This wasn’t the best night for coach Derek Fisher, who again played all 13 men. He used an odd bench rotation, too, bringing in Kyle O’Quinn, who didn’t play in two of the previous three games , and Sasha Vujacic, over Grant, the rookie point guard.
Anthony said playing everyone doesn’t always work.
“Sometimes it’s beneficial, sometimes you don’t know how it is,’’ he said. “It’s a fine line to play with.’’
O’Quinn was awful with two quick turnovers and missed a forced jumper. The bench chemistry was not there as Miami pulled away. The Heat even got a contribution from the unlikeliest player, undrafted free agent southpaw point guard, Tyler Johnson, who played for its D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls, S.D. last season. Johnson outplayed Grant, scoring seven points in the first eight minutes of the second quarter.
Lance Thomas, surging in his second season with the Knicks, couldn’t buy a basket, bricking four perimeter jumpers, including a trio of misses from 3-point land, and was benched in the second half.
“It’s a tough night,’’ Galloway said. “We couldn’t get any shots to fall. We struggled all together tonight.’’