The New York Knicks fall to the Miami Heat 109-99. An off-night by Jalen Brunson and hot shooting by Terry Rozier is the recipe for a third straight crunch-time loss.
The New York Knicks lost their third game in a row, falling against the Miami Heat 109-99. The Knicks started woefully slow and couldn’t overcome the hole they dug themselves into. They ran into a red-hot shooting night from Terry Rozier and a rare off night from Jalen Brunson, which made the uphill battle impossible to overcome.
The Knicks started the game with a comedy of errors, turning the ball over and missing everything from open three-pointers to layups. The Heat played with playoff intensity from the opening tip, and New York didn’t find their footing for the entire first half. New York finally kicked into gear in the third quarter, but they already trailed by fifteen points. They fought all the way back to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but they ran out of steam as the Heat made one last run to close the game.
This game sometimes bordered on unwatchable, adding an exclamation point to their three-game slide. Now, New York sits precariously close to play-in territory. Let’s examine the tough loss.
The Knicks’ starters have a few letdown performances
Jalen Brunson: 20 PTS (5/18 FG, 1/6 3PT, 9/10 FT), 10 AST, 2 REB, 5 TO in 36 mins
The Heat didn’t blitz Jalen Brunson like most teams have recently. They held double-teams back and crowded him only after he’d started moving to the basket. The strategy helped Brunson draw more fouls than usual but also pushed him into questionable shot selection and some bad turnovers.
Brunson still drew the lion’s share of the defense’s attention. He fought through contact for almost every attempt and made a few beautiful passes to free up teammates. It’s frustrating to watch New York’s star beaten up nightly, especially after seeing players like the rookie Victor Wembanyama get superstar protection from the refs. But don’t take my word for it; let’s see what Tom Thibodeau says about Brunson’s tough streak in recent games.
Brunson gets a 1.5 out of 5 for poor shooting and too many turnovers. But to be fair, “he’s getting fouled” constantly without the same protection that star players are afforded.
Miles McBride: 24 PTS (9/16 FG, 4/8 3PT, 2/2 FT), 2 AST, 2 REB, 1 BLK, 2 TO in 45 mins
The bright spot of New York’s recent slump is Miles McBride. Deuce played another gem, this time in playoff intensity against a tough defense and elite coach. McBride’s shooting continued to buoy his performance as he knocked down looks whenever he had space. He added a few finishes at the basket, including a baseline drive and dunk that was highlight reel worthy.
McBride’s defense stood out on multiple occasions. He defended Terry Rozier well, often forcing Rozier to make circus shots from 30 feet out, but it was that kind of night for Scary Terry. Deuce shined more as a help defender, sprinting to challenge otherwise-open shooters and sneaking up on ball-handlers.
McBride’s run has all the makings of a leap. If the team is finally healthy, he looks ready to enter the 6MoY conversation next season. Deuce gets a 4 out of 5 for his two-way performance.
Donte DiVincenzo: 31 PTS (11/21 FG, 6/15 3PT, 3/3 FT), 4 AST, 4 REB, 4 STL, 4 TO in 35 mins
Donte DiVincenzo’s performance felt a little uneven, but he was still one of New York’s best players. With the Heat focused heavily on Brunson, DiVo saw more opportunities to attack off the dribble, finish inside, or swing the ball to shooters. He ran into turnover problems, but that’s the story of the night for everyone else as well.
DiVincenzo’s quick trigger shooting came up big in the second half. He swung from hot to cold in the first half but found his footing by the third quarter. Donte’s ability to catch an off-target pass and reset his hands to get the shot off quickly is incomparable. Once his shooting is established, he can surprise opponents with sneaky athleticism.
DiVo’s defense also helped throughout the night. He picked off passes and pressured ball-handlers throughout the action. His performance earns 4 out of 5 for picking up the scoring slack.
Josh Hart: 2 PTS (1/3 FG), 7 AST, 6 REB, 2 STL, 2 TO in 46 mins
When I say DiVincenzo picked up the scoring slack, I mean for Josh Hart. The Heat all but erased Josh Hart’s scoring presence from this game. Hart couldn’t get transition opportunities, and his weak drives across the lane were met with crowds. When teams drift off Hart to seal off lanes for the other ball-handlers, his hesitance to shoot becomes hard to ignore.
In fairness, Hart still managed seven assists. He got after the boards, though Miami kept him at bay. The former Blazer’s best trait was defense. He embraced a tough matchup with Jimmy Butler and did well guarding the Heat’s best player.
Despite his quality defense, I can’t call this a good game for Hart. Spoelstra’s game plan seemed to capitalize on Hart’s weaknesses, which worked. Hart gets a 2 out of 5 for a tough but not terrible night.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 4 PTS (2/2 FG), 2 AST, 1 REB, 3 STL, 1 BLK in 18 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein couldn’t get any rebounds. The Heat crowded the paint and kept I-Hart boxed out throughout the game. The big man never found a firm footing to create like he normally does or to crash the middle to manufacture chaos.
Hartenstein shined defensively, continually disrupting plays and challenging interior scorers. Bam Adebayo didn’t look as comfortable as we’ve seen him against other Knick big men. Unfortunately, Hartenstein couldn’t do anything about the Heat’s perimeter shooting.
Despite Hartenstein’s quality defense, Thibodeau went a different direction for most of the second half. Precious Achiuwa soaked up many of the minutes that I-Hart typically gets. I hope that’s a coaching decision rather than a sign that Hartenstein’s wrist hurts. I-Hart gets a 2 out of 5 for good defense without much offense.
Bogey comes alive for New York’s second unit
Alec Burks: 0 PTS (0/1 FG, 0/1 3PT), 2 REB in 3 mins
Alec Burks played only 3 minutes in the second quarter. That may be a sign that Burks is losing his role in the rotation, or maybe his sore shoulder is still an issue. Either way, I’d like to see Shake Milton get a chance with the second unit.
Bojan Bogdanovic: 16 PTS (6/10 FG, 1/4 3PT, 3/4 FT), 6 REB, 1 TO in 19 mins
Bojan Bogdanovic finally found his offense, which came from attacking the basket. The Heat didn’t have a rim protector with their second unit, but few Knicks capitalized. Bogey established himself as the exception, driving to finish and earn free throws. His jumper didn’t heat up until the second half, but once he got going, he made some of his best shots since joining the Knicks.
Bogdanovic played well enough in the fourth quarter to earn Donte DiVincenzo extra rest. Bojan played a key role in the comeback run, though I may have gone to DiVo sooner for defensive purposes. Regardless, Bogey made a positive impact, and I’ll point out that he did so when he finally split up from his struggling colleague, Alec Burks.
Bogdanovic gets a 3.5 out of 5, though his defense could still use work.
Precious Achiuwa: 2 PTS (1/4 FG), 6 REB, 1 STL in 27 mins
Precious Achiuwa’s unique combination of mobility and size made him an interesting option against Bam Adebayo. Precious had the agility to win position battles that Hartenstein and Robinson couldn’t. That meant Achiuwa found his way to some putback opportunities, though he only cashed one in.
Achiuwa defended Adebayo well, keeping him from taking over on the glass. The effort earned Precious extra minutes as he battled during New York’s comeback attempt. But we haven’t seen Achiuwa play to the level he provided during his hot streak a few weeks back.
Precious gets a 2.5 out of 5 for a respectable effort.
Mitchell Robinson: 0 PTS (0/1 FG, 0/2 FT), 1 REB, 1 STL in 10 mins
Mitchell Robinson looked out of rhythm and off balance at times. He missed a “gimme” layup and clanked free throws. He mistimed some jumps and never got much going in a limited time.
Tom Thibodeau is running out of ideas
I’ve excused Tom Thibodeau’s lack of rotation changes because he has few options. He’s tried everything that makes any semblance of sense, even settling into a small-ball line-up and playing some players 40+ minutes a night. But the entire team looks tired by the end of games now, and a coach as savvy as Eric Spoelstra will take advantage of small-ball if he knows that’s all his opponent has.
I don’t bring that up to blame Thibodeau for the Knicks’ recent struggles. No coach could solve New York’s issues while three starters miss half the season. Thibodeau’s a miracle worker for getting the team this far. But it feels like we’re winding down the season, and unless OG, Randle, and Mitch get into shape rapidly, this will be a lost season.
Closing Thoughts:
It was all good just a week ago. But things fall apart quickly, and the NBA schedule doesn’t let up, at least not for the Knicks this year. We’ve quickly shifted from chasing second place to worrying about seventh. But as the news about OG and Randle has gone from “back after the All-Star Break” to “still can’t take contact in April,” I think our strategy might also need to adjust.
The only players New York can count on are the ones suiting up right now. But those players look increasingly fatigued. The team would be wise to work toward avoiding the play-in but immediately shift to getting guys some rest once they’re there.
Unfortunately, that could come down to the wire. But players look burnt out, and I don’t think anyone could blame them.
The Kings are next, and they’re desperately fighting to avoid a play-in game themselves. It won’t be easy to beat them again, but New York needs to get back on track. I’ll see you next time, Knicks fam!
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