The New York Knicks fell to the Miami Heat 120-127. Jalen Burnson, Julius Randle, and Immanuel Quickley were off, allowing the Heat to win.
Make sure to catch the whole Knicks Fan TV Postgame show on all major podcast platforms below:
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• Stitcher
The New York Knicks fell short against the Miami Heat 120 to 127. Poor perimeter defense plagued the Knicks for their second straight loss, as the Heat shot 57.1 percent from three. New York had no problems producing on offense, even as Julius Randle struggled. But Miami kept pace as their shooters caught rhythm by shooting wide-open jumpers the entire night. The fact that Miami is statistically one of the worst shooting teams in the league only pours salt in the wound.
Nevertheless, New York fought to keep things close and even held a brief lead in the fourth quarter. But Tyler Herro got hot, and some shoddy calls from the refs helped bury New York’s chances at stealing the victory. So let’s look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of this tough loss.
The Knicks’ starters score plenty but fail to get stops
Jalen Brunson: 25 PTS (10/16 FG, 2/6 3PT, 3/5 FT), 5 AST, 6 REB, 1 STL, 5 TO in 37 mins
Jalen Brunson scored enough and created for teammates, but turnovers and lousy defense plagued his performance. This is the second consecutive game where a team targets Brunson on defense and reaps rewards. Typically, the Knicks’ point guard draws offensive fouls through charges and screen violations to mitigate some of his defensive shortcomings. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here.
On the bright side, Brunson’s scoring ability didn’t waver. He finished some impressive floaters against a stingy defense that includes Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. In addition, the floor general made timely jump shots and picked out teammates on the perimeter. Sadly, his success is soured by the bevy of turnovers he allowed, often driving into traps and having kick outs picked off.
Brunson’s talent may have bit him in this game. The Heat’s constant swarming and trapping is made to be broken by fast, simple swing passes. But the crafty guard is good enough to score in traffic. So he attacked and got himself into trouble just as often as he succeeded as a playmaker. Yet Brunson’s struggles defensively and failure to protect the ball leave him with a 2.5 out of 5 despite his impressive production.
Quentin Grimes: 22 PTS (7/12 FG, 6/10 3PT, 2/2 FT), 1 AST, 2 REB in 25 mins
The Heat forced New York to move the ball quickly and constantly. No one took as much advantage of the increased ball movement as Quentin Grimes. Whenever Miami’s defenders cheated into the lanes, Grimes found room to spot up and knock down threes. On the few occasions when Heat players closed out in time, Grimes hit the lane with speed.
Grimes looked like the best perimeter defender on the team as well. When New York struggles at the point of attack, Grimes is typically the solution. I give Josh Hart an edge as an off-ball defender, but Grimes has the advantage when on-ball and mainly through screens (disclaimer: Both guys are great defenders).
With all of that said, Grimes’ lack of additional playing time was frustrating. He was punishing the Heat’s trapping scheme and applying defensive pressure that helped avoid the defensive breakdowns plaguing the team. Yet, he didn’t enter the fourth quarter until New York was significantly behind with 3 minutes left. Grimes gets a 4 out of 5, and it could have been more if he got the minutes he deserved for this performance.
RJ Barrett: 26 PTS (8/13 FG, 3/6 3PT, 7/7 FT), 5 AST, 6 REB, 3 TO in 36 mins
RJ Barrett played fantastic ball, even knocking down his three-pointers and free throws. The developing wing still scored most of his points by attacking the paint, but his efficiency took another leap thanks to his jumper. Barrett ran into trouble a few times by driving into crowds, but his aggressive approach often yielded good results.
The Canadian prospect punished Heat double-teams with some of his best passing all season. I’m not just talking about the 5 assists he tallied. It’s the diversity of reads and passes that made Barrett stand out. He whipped cross-court passes, picked out trailers, and split defenders to find cutters.
Barrett played well; his production and efficiency reflect as much. I wish the Knicks gave him more opportunities late in the matchup. But the team sticks to its script, so the late action flowed through Jalen Brunson and a struggling Julius Randle instead. I don’t know if RJ can do much about that, so I’m still giving him a 4 out of 5 for solid play.
Julius Randle: 15 PTS (7/16 FG, 1/5 3PT, 0/1 FT), 9 AST, 6 REB, 1 STL, 4 TO in 36 mins
Julius Randle struggled against the Heat’s paint-packing defense throughout the night. He couldn’t get the jumper down, reducing his attack to one note. But Randle’s a handful, even if you know he’s planning to drive. The big slammed his way into the paint for some impressive dunks, and he probably deserved additional free throws for a few missed attempts through contact.
Randle turned the ball over often, but it’s worth noting that he made plenty of smart passes. The dominant scorer facilitated out of double-teams, nearly notching a double-double with 10 assists. That’s a good sign for his approach against the traps he can expect in the postseason.
I’m more concerned with Randle’s defense slipping. The big man has a habit of defending with his hands low, which allows shooters to get shots up before he can adequately challenge. That typically happened when Randle was switched onto guards. As a result, Randle earns a 3 out of 5 for solid play that’s hurt by some glaring mistakes.
Mitchell Robinson:10 PTS (4/4 FG, 2/4 FT), 1 AST, 8 REB, 3 BLK in 25 mins
Mitchell Robinson faked a handoff and took the ball to the rim for a dunk. It was one of my favorite moments of his entire season. The big man started the game on fire with plays like that and a few offensive rebounds to boot. But his production came in bursts rather than a steady flow.
I’m not sure if we should blame the ball handlers or Mitch for his vanishing acts during portions of the game. He still produced on defense, with some impressive blocks and rim protection. But the big man’s gravity and presence on offense waned after his hot start.
My only other note about Mitch is that I’m concerned about his knee, considering he is questionable for tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic. He visibly limped after multiple plays, and it didn’t help that Jimmy Butler grabbed and pulled his leg back at one point. Robinson still played effective basketball but wasn’t the same force as when he returned from injury. Yet, despite all of that, Robinson gets a 3 out of 5.
New York’s second unit misses a step
Immanuel Quickley: 5 PTS (1/8 FG, 1/5 3PT, 2/2 FT), 3 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL in 19 mins
Immanuel Quickley picked up this game right where he left off against Minnesota. Missing jumpers, forcing some shots, and taking too long to decide to pass. The Heat’s defensive scheme made things challenging for the sixth man. But he didn’t do himself any favors by missing open looks and forcing a few shots along the way.
I mentioned a pet peeve in the Randle portion, and IQ has hit one of my other triggers. He has a habit of pushing the ball in transition but pulling up short and allowing the defense to catch up to the play. I wouldn’t mind this if Quickley were making a quick pass so that someone else could attack defenders before they set their feet. But Quick typically holds the ball and waits to run a half-court set instead.
Games like this are bound to happen. Quickley has been one of New York’s most consistent players, so I’ll give him a break for an off night or two. But the team has learned to rely on his creative attacking, so he can’t afford to stay in the lull. The postseason is approaching, and the Sixth Man of the Year race is tight, so we need more from IQ. He gets a 1 out of 5 for struggling through this action.
Josh Hart: 12 PTS (3/5 FG, 2/3 3PT, 4/4 FT), 3 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 29 mins
Despite Miami taking away the paint, Josh Hart put up an impressive stat line. He didn’t get to make his typical coast-to-coast runs, and the Heat all but closed the paint off for scoring. But he responded by making his open looks from distance and drawing a few fouls.
Hart did a little bit of everything in this game. His active hands led to rebounds and steals. He threw a nice alley-oop to Mitch and did some weak-side playmaking off swing passes. But I also saw him get stuck on screens for the second consecutive night. His defensive lapses stand out because he doesn’t make many mistakes, but getting skinny through screens could be a potential challenge for the muscular wing.
Hart continued to live up to his reputation, making positive plays and hustling throughout the action. Yet, I can’t help but wonder if switching Hart for Grimes would have helped New York. I like Grimes for point-of-attack defense better, and Grimes was shooting lights out. Hart still earns a 3 out of 5 for his solid night, but Tom Thibodeau is becoming over-reliant.
Obi Toppin: 3 PTS (1/5 FG, 1/4 3PT), 1 AST, 4 REB in 12 mins
Obi Toppin hustled hard and found open spots on the floor. The problem is that he didn’t turn those open looks into points. He repeatedly made the right cuts only to brick the ensuing shot. But he did turn an excellent fake handoff into a dime to Mitchell Robinson.
Even though Obi didn’t score well, he tracked down a few boards, which helped. But, once again, he got too few minutes and shot poorly to earn above a 1.5 out of 5.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 2 PTS (1/3 FG, 0/1 3PT), 2 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 3 TO in 19 mins
Walt Clyde Frazier implored Isaiah Hartenstein to look at the rim. That’s not good for a big man who receives most of his touches in or around the paint. I-Hart kept catching the ball intending to pass, which hurt his gravity under the rim. His passing looked sloppy as well, overzealous and inaccurate at times.
With as many turnovers as field goals and rebounds combined, Hartenstein turned in a disappointing performance. We just saw him dunk through defenders last game, so I can’t accept his passive approach in this performance. In the end, Big Hart gets a 1 out of 5 for the rough night.
Tom Thibodeau is slow to adjust again
I pay Tom Thibodeau plenty of praise when things are going right. But I think that allows me to be critical when necessary. Thibodeau’s successes rarely feel driven by in-game adjustments. If his game plan works early, it typically sticks. If his game plan struggles, he takes too long to make changes.
My case in point is Quentin Grimes failing to crack 25 minutes despite a spectacular performance. But I’ll also note to the team continuing to feed Julius Randle when RJ Barrett was the hot hand. I can just as easily specify that IQ got enough minutes for his off-night to hurt when other wings would have been benched sooner (namely, Grimes and RJ).
I’m giving Thibodeau a 1.5 out of 5 because he did make some late changes, but they were late to save the game.
Closing Thoughts
In the aftermath of a single loss in Miami, a more significant loss loomed over us. RIP to Willis Reed, the Captain. I don’t believe any moment embodies the Knicks more than Willis Reed walking out of the tunnel to play despite a torn thigh muscle. We’ve spent this year celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1972-73 Knicks’ championship team, which shows how much we appreciate our champions.
But the Captain was beloved for more than just a title or some toughness. Clyde spent portions of the night telling us stories about Willis Reed, the leader, the influence, and the person. The Knicks and their fans were blessed to watch him, to learn from him, and to be inspired by him. So my closing thoughts are with Willis Reed and his loved ones. Thank you for the memories, and rest in paradise.
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out CP’s interview with songwriter and rapper, Skyzoo!
