Global Courant 2023-05-07 05:09:47
It was by far one of the Miami Heat’s worst shooting games of the season: 39% from the field, 22% from 3-point range, barely 50% on mostly easy shots at the rim.
Didn’t matter.
Defense — still the staple of the Heat even in these high-scoring NBA days — came through to take Miami two wins away from another trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Jimmy Butler returned from his sprained right ankle to score 28 points, Max Strus added 19 as the Heat swept the New York Knicks 105-86 on Saturday to take a 2-1 lead in their East semifinal series.
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New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett (9) drives to the basket against Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry (7) during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA second-round playoff series on Saturday, May 6, 2023 in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
“It’s about figuring out how to compete at a really high level,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “What it takes to win that game.”
For as bad as the Heat shot, the Knicks were worse – 34% from the field, 20% from 3-point range, 46% from restricted area around the rim.
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And that was the story.
“You have to win games in different ways,” said heat watcher Kyle Lowry. “In the playoffs, as I’ve said for many years and many years, every game is seriously different. And this is one of those games where we held them off… To win by half a point, a point difference .” , two points, 20 points, it’s about winning the game, however it happens.”
Jalen Brunson scored 20 for New York, which got 15 from Josh Hart, 14 from RJ Barrett and 12 from Immanuel Quickley, who left midway through the fourth quarter after spraining an ankle that will be reassessed on Sunday. Julius Randle added 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks.
Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent (2) rides against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the first half of Game 3 of a second round playoff series on Saturday, May 6, 2023 in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Game 4 is Monday.
“We couldn’t stop early, so we couldn’t get easy buckets,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “So we paid the price.”
Bam Adebayo had 17 points and 12 rebounds for Miami, and Lowry added 14 points as the Heat never trailed. Duncan Robinson opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer, giving Miami an 11-point lead – and the lead stayed in double digits the rest of the way.
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“Hopefully we can get back on track and find a way to get some shots in the next game and finish with a win,” said Randle.
There was even a Heat-Knicks cleanup under a basket, just like the good old days of the teams’ playoff rivalry — though this one was nothing like PJ Brown flipping Charlie Ward in 1997 to start a bench-cleanup mess leading to suspensions, or Jeff Van Gundy pulling Alonzo Mourning’s leg in 1998.
Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin (16) attempts to block a shot by New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the first half of Game 3 of a second round playoff series on Saturday, May 6, 2023 in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
This one, as it was, happened with 14.7 seconds left in the third after a Quickley basket put the Knicks inside 87–70.
Randle and Cody Zeller got tangled up as they fought for a rebounding position. Randle eventually got pushed to the ground, Isaiah Hartenstein took offense and shoved Zeller, Caleb Martin took offense and pushed Hartenstein and took about five minutes to sort out a mess that lasted about five seconds.
The final standings: technical compensation to Zeller and Hartenstein, plus a technical to Martin. Randle missed the free throw. And right after it happened, Butler danced a bit, enjoying the aftermath of the show.
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‘Much ado about nothing,’ said Spoelstra.
Butler missed Game 2 with his ankle sprain and limped at times in Saturday’s second half, but was effective the entire time. He had 10 points in the first quarter as Miami set the tone on both sides; the Heat made 10 of their first 15 shots, the Knicks missed 13 of their first 17, and it wasn’t until the middle of the second quarter that New York got a shot from anywhere other than the paint.
