For the visiting side, Heats were without their star forward Jimmy Butler Tyler Herro and backup guard Victor Oladipodue to a sprained ankle.
The Miami Heat had a lot to overcome this season to advance to the second round of the playoffs. However, on Tuesday they were unable to do it against the Knicks in their home. The eighth-seeded Miami Heat narrowly lost Game 2 of their second-round playoff series to the fifth-seeded New York Knicks 111-105 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden because they could not compensate for the absence of their star player Jimmy Butler.
The next two games of the series, which is currently tied at 1, will be played in Miami. Heat’s head coach Erik Spoelstra said in the post-match, “I loved the way the guys were playing on both ends of the court and did everything we needed to do to give ourselves a chance to win on the road. But you do have to credit New York.” For the visiting side, Heats were without their star forward Jimmy Butler due to a sprained ankle. Butler participated in Game 1 but injured his ankle late in Sunday’s victory that started the series. The other missing players were Tyler Herro and backup guard Victor Oladipo. But despite this, there were 16 lead changes and 13 ties and the game remained competitive the entire time.
With All-Star forward Julius Randle playing in Game 2, the Knicks were essentially at full strength. Randle was out in Game 1 due to a sprained left ankle. With 6:06 left in the fourth quarter, the undermanned Heat appeared to be in a position to pull off another incredible playoff victory. But the Knicks answered by going on a 24-12 run to end the game to complete the comeback victory. Jalen Brunson started the run with a three-pointer as Isaiah Hartenstein was fouled simultaneously while setting a screen. Hartenstein then converted the ensuing free throw to complete the four-point play and reduce the deficit to two points with 6:42 remaining.
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With 6:08 remaining, Brunson’s jumper for the Knicks tied the score at 93 following a turnover by the Heat. Heat guard Gabe Vincent was fouled while attempting a three-point shot on the following possession. With 5:52 left, he made all three of his free throw attempts to temporarily quiet the New York crowd and restore Miami’s three-point lead. The Knicks gained two offensive rebounds on the Heat’s ensuing possession, which culminated in Josh Hart making a three-pointer to once again tie the game at 96. However, what came next was particularly painful for the Heat as the Knicks opened a vast gap and got the momentum back.
The Knicks capitalised on that momentum to take an eight-point lead with 31.5 seconds remaining. The Heat never recovered the lead. With a game-high 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field and 6-of-10 shooting from three-point range, Brunson led the charge for the Knicks. For New York, Randle added 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Without Butler, the Heat’s offensive strategy was balanced. Vincent scored 21 points overall, and Caleb Martin scored a team-high 22 points.
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