The Knicks put up more of a fight but it wasn’t enough against Miami’s disciplined attack, falling to a 3-1 deficit.
Miami had an answer for every punch and counter-punch New York desperately threw in hopes to even up the series.
Now the Heat have the Knicks on the ropes. Miami took a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals after taking Game 4, 109-101, on Monday night.
While it was a much-improved showing from the Knicks after suffering a double-digit beatdown in the previous outing, Miami outworked the Knicks in nearly every facet of the game.
Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett excelled throughout the game, but Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Max Strus, and the Heat bench never slowed down.
Miami massacred New York on the glass, outrebounding the Knicks, 44-35. Mitchell Robinson struggled to keep up with Adebayo, who led the way upfront.
The Heat generated 17 second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds. Solid showings from Brunson and Barrett weren’t nearly enough to keep the Knicks afloat, especially as Miami had a solid team-wide display.
The Knicks couldn’t find much cohesion and momentum off the bench, when it came time to bring the reserves in, and Miami capitalized on the Knicks’ slow start to the second quarter.
The Heat saw big bench minutes once again from Kyle Lowry, who continued to torment the Knicks. This time, Caleb Martin joined in.
Tom Thibodeau shifted Josh Hart back onto the bench in favor of returning Quentin Grimes to the starting five, but the personnel change didn’t ignite a spark on the bench. Miami’s bench unit outscored the Knicks’ reserves, 32-10.
The Heat led 56-48 at the half.
Whenever it felt like the Knicks were starting to put a run together, Miami promptly broke it up with a timely three-pointer or a deflating series of hustle plays.
The Heat never trailed after the first quarter, and even though it remained a single-digit margin for a wide majority of the game, it felt like a herculean task to overcome.
New York had a hard time matching Miami’s intensity on both ends of the court in the second half. Foul trouble started to become an issue for Brunson, Randle and Hart. The bench struggled to produce.
Outside of a two-minute exchange midway through the third quarter where both teams traded shot for shot, the Knicks were never able to make it a single-possession margin for the remainder of the game.
The Heat held on to take a comfortable lead, while it’ll be do-or-die as the series returns to New York.
Brunson finished with a 32-point, 11-assist double-double. Barrett added 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, with four rebounds and three assists.
Randle did most of his work in the first half. He finished with 20 points, but didn’t score at any point in the fourth quarter. He also had nine boards, three assists and six turnovers.
For Miami, Butler led the Heat with a 27-point, 10-assist double-double. Adebayo set the tone inside early on and was a major catalyst throughout the game, finishing with 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting, and 13 rebounds. Max Strus had 16 points, shot 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, and had six rebounds.
Off the bench, Lowry had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Martin chipped in 10 points and five rebounds.
Both teams will resume action on Wednesday. Game 5 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden.
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