The Miami Heat stole Game 1 on New York’s turf, 108-101, behind 25 points, 11 rebounds and four assists from Jimmy Butler and porous Knicks shooting.
Here are some key takeaways…
– New York was without Julius Randle, but despite generating good looks offensively went 7-of-34 from three. RJ Barrett led the way with 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists on 10-of-20 shooting from the field.
– Jalen Brunson had his worst game of the postseason, not finding his shooting range and finishing with 25 points and seven assists on 23 shots. Obi Toppin put up 18 in Randle’s absence, including four threes.
– Gabe Vincent scored 20, Bam Adebayo added 16 and Kyle Lowry put up 18 in the victory.
– Quentin Grimes returned from injury but came off the bench for Josh Hart, who was 0-3 from three.
– Vincent got off to a hot start, knocking down a couple threes en route to eight early points. His Heat led the Knicks 15-12 midway through the first quarter.
-Barrett and Hart stepped up in response, attacking the rim with Adebayo on the bench and Kevin Love offering Miami’s lone rim protection. New York closed the quarter on a 10-2 run and took a 32-21 lead behind a big 11-point, three assist period from RJ.
– Brunson had a rough start but got it going on quarter two – finishing the first half with 15 points. The Knicks matched blows with the Heat’s bench and were up 42-30 midway through the second.
– A corner three from Vincent plus the foul garnered Miami some momentum. Lowry looked four years younger, stripping Hart on a fast break and burying an off-dribble three on the other end. Miami cut the New York lead to five at the half, 55-50.
– Miami’s defense tightened up and New York got off a sluggish offensive start to the third quarter. The Knicks opened 3-of-21 from three, and Butler finally got his offense going to propel a 21-5 Heat run that gave them a 74-66 lead midway through the period.
– A Thibodeau timeout sparked an immediate response, with Toppin burying a three and Brunson finishing inside to cap a 7-0 run. Miami would push back, and maintain a 81-75 lead going into the fourth quarter.
– The Heat kept on the pressure, leading by seven midway through the quarter. But the Knicks wouldn’t go away, stringing together some stops to cut the deficit to three.
– At the five-minute mark, Butler went down to an ankle injury, but continued on despite a visible limp.
-Despite that, Miami was able to extend their lead to eight behind a Vincent three and dime. A Lowry mid-range jumper capped a 7-0 run to go up 10 with just over two minutes remaining.
Highlights
What next
Game 2 from The Garden is set for Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.