MIAMI MARCH 26 (US): Just when it looked as if the Miami Heat would open up a little breathing space atop the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks had other ideas.
And a staggering hike could pave the way for some extended chaos, according to the Associated Press.
Emmanuel Quikley scored 20 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, to lead a strong comeback that overtook the faltering Knicks Heat, 111-103 on Friday night.
RJ Barrett scored 18 points for the Knicks, who trailed by 17 points with 11 minutes left before closing in at 38-13 and handing Miami their third loss in a row – all against teams that lost top players.
“These guys were great,” said Knicks coach Tom Tebodeau. “They’ve been training really well, playing basketball and winning and we just want to keep getting better.”
Jimmy Butler Heat led with 30 points. Kyle Lowry and Pam Adebayo added 17 for Miami, which was once again without Tyler Hero and saw its eastern half-game edge over Milwaukee.
New York converted 18 attacking rebounds into a 28-point second chance.
“There are a lot of bad bounces, in my opinion,” Adebayo said. “Collectively, we just had to get into the trenches again, look at the movie and go back in time.”
Markiv Morris opened the fourth quarter with a basket for Miami that gave the Heat a 90-73 lead — the biggest lead of the night.
Things changed quickly. Or Quickley, to be exact.
Quickley scored eight points in 58 seconds—two 3-pointers sandwiched around two free throws—to put the lead straight back to number one, and Knicks improved the defense. Miami missed 11 of her next 12 shots, the Knicks pitted after a pit stop and drifted away from the remainder of the lead.
Obi Tobin added 15 points for New York, which is five games behind last in the championship with eight games remaining.
“Every day, we just try to get better,” Quikley said.
The approach works Friday.
Quickley hit a short jump to tie the match, Quentin Grimes made a three-pointer on the next possession, and the Knicks—to the delight of the many New York faithful who always make their way to the Knicks’ matches in Miami—came all the way back to snatch the lead.
The Heat lost to Philadelphia on Monday night, though the 76ers don’t play Joel Embiid or James Harden. They lost to Golden State on Wednesday night, with the Warriors without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
This loss to the Knicks came with the sidelining of many New York players, most notably Julius Randle. It leaves four teams in the East — Miami, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Boston — all with 27 or 28 losses, meaning the top seed plays for all of those clubs.
Hints
Knicks: Randle missed his third game in a row with quadriceps tendon pain. “Julius just needs a little more time,” Tibodo said. …it was the fourth biggest comeback of the season for New York. The Knicks recovered from 20 down against Sacramento on March 7, fell against Milwaukee on November 5 and 25 against Boston on January 6.
Heat: Butler earned his 1,000th assist in a Miami outfit, the 14th player to reach that number. Only Tim Hardaway, Sherman Douglas and LeBron James did it faster than Butler, who got there in his 161st game for the club. … Adebayo has now made at least 50% of his shots in nine consecutive games, one step away from matching his career best streak in a single season.
unhappy day
Laurie turned 36 on Friday. He’s now 0-6 on his birthdays – five of those NBA losses, and the other a 67-66 loss from Villanova to North Carolina at the 2005 NCAA Championships at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, when his triple-pointer in the final seconds was ‘enough. To rescue the Wildcats.
competition
Miami and New York have met 130 times in regular season play – and the Knicks maintain the all-time lead, which is now 66-64. The Heat were bidding for their eighth sweep of the Knicks and the second such occurrence in consecutive years, having done so in 2004-05 and 2005-2006 as well.
next one
Nicks: Visit Detroit on Sunday.
Heat: Brooklyn hosts on Saturday.