Heat lose to Knicks 116-95, drop eighth straight game

First Half:

Miami got out to an extremely hot start with Herro, Jaquez Jr., and Robinson, all contributing to a 9-0 run. Miami was strong on defense to start forcing the Knicks into some awful looks. Mikal Bridges eventually got things started for the Knicks after 4 scoreless minutes, and New York wouldn’t slow down as they quickly trimmed the lead to just four.

Bam and Tyler continued to push the envelope on offense to keep NY behind, putting up some highlight plays in the process.

It’s always great seeing Bam leverage his speed on opponents – it’s one of the things that make him so good against other big men, and something I think we need to see more often.

Ware and the Heat reserves maintained the energy of the first unit, and Herro kept things from stagnating as he continued to drop bombs on the Knicks. Miami showed strong shot selection with Miami shooting 56% from the field. Miami would take an 11-point lead into the second quarter.

Karl-Anthony Towns had his way with the Heat’s defense scoring seven straight points and forcing Bam off the bench. Even with Ware on the court, the Heat are just sometimes too small.

Miami did not have a good second quarter with Towns continuing to feast, and the Heat having no response on the offensive end. Just like that the Knicks were up by two and the Heat were on its heels (a place they’re all too familiar with). Mitchell was tenacious on defense resulting in some much-needed offense. He’d tweak his wrist, but stay in the game.

The Heat would show some grit towards the end of the half with Jaquez and Bam scoring some great buckets to steal back the lead and push the tempo. Miami’s focus on fast basketball delivered some amazing moments – most notably this Tyler transition slam!

Even with the Heat showing tenacity and finally finding some offensive rhythm, the Knicks did not go away – staying within striking distance and playing hard-nosed basketball. The Heat would take a two-point lead into the second half.

Second Half:

Miami was strong to start the second half with some great defense by Bam and another Duncan three. Still the Knicks continued to push and stole back the lead off a Heat turnover. It wasn’t all doom and gloom though, the Heat were playing solid basketball, sharing the ball well, and taking smart shots. Miami’s biggest issue was its turnovers because the Knicks scored off of nearly all of them (over 21 points off turnovers). For the Heat to compete the team needs to be nearly flawless, and that’s just not something it’s capable of at the moment.

All of a sudden down 10, the Heat needed to dig in and fight. That would start on the defensive end with Mitchell, Adebayo, and Highsmith all digging in to limit points and cause turnovers. Davion Mitchell was really a force tonight, his defensive ability is understated, and the impact he can bring in off the bench really is great.

The game was delayed slightly because Tracy Morgan threw up on the court. Not something that happens very often, but hey it’s St. Patty’s Day!

The Knicks would go up 14 on a 7-0 run and not slow down. The strong play that the Heat had showcased in the first half, and even the start of the third was nowhere to be seen. The Heat scored only 13 points for much of the quarter. The Knicks would take a 24-point lead into the fourth quarter, leaving the Heat reeling.

Spo inserted Miami’s scrappiest bunch to start the fourth, and they’d chip away. Mitchell, Larsson, Duncan, Bam, and Anderson all delivered on offense. Unfortunately, the hole was just too big and Miami faced the consequence of its own inaction in the third quarter. With the Heat still turning the ball over often.

With the Knicks raining down threes, Miami surrendered their eighth straight game with no answers and a very tough schedule ahead.

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