SHOP
Thanks to six double-figure scorers and some strong defense down the stretch, the HEAT defeated the Knicks 109-103 Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
Let’s get right into some takeaways from the matinee matchup.
1. Bam Stays Aggressive
After picking apart the Wizards on Friday, Bam Adebayo was it again in New York.
From the start, Adebayo put a ton of pressure on the rim and threw down some sick jams, with none as impressive as this one early in the second quarter where he fooled both Taj Gibson and Obi Toppin on his way to the cup:
Of course, it wasn’t all rolls and drives for Adebayo, as he also knocked down a few jumpers at the end of the shot clock, including this crazy turnaround early in the fourth:
The total package.
On the defensive end, the 23-year-old out of Kentucky made things as tough as possible on Julius Randle and also helped trap New York’s perimeter players.
When it was all said and done, Adebayo amassed a team-high 24 points (seven in the fourth) on 10-of-17 shooting, a team-high 11 boards, five assists, one steal, one block and a plus-10 rating.
2. Jimmy Flirts With A Triple-Double…Again
Although Jimmy Butler didn’t shoot it that well from the field, he still filled the box score and impacted the game in other ways to get Miami the victory.
In addition to getting to the line like only he can and leading all players with eight points in the fourth, Butler also continued to feed his teammates with some pinpoint passes.
I mean, just take a look at this read and dime to Kelly Olynyk late in the final period:
That’s how you get it done.
Butler finished with 17 points on 11-of-12 shooting from the stripe, 10 boards, a game-high nine assists, one steal and a game-high plus-11 rating.
Olynyk, meanwhile, tallied 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and a plus-seven rating.
3. Nunn Stays Sharp
With Goran Dragić out, Kendrick Nunn got his third start of the season (first since Jan. 28) and provided much-needed scoring for Miami as usual.
In fact, he led the team with 14 points in the first half thanks to four treys.
That said, perhaps his most notable score came on this spin and reverse in the post against Immanuel Quickley early in the fourth:
Nunn ended up with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-7 from deep, four rebounds and three assists.
Other Takeaways:
-Once again, Tyler Herro looked comfortable coming off the bench and continued to utilize screens well for pull-up middys and floaters in the paint.
Oh yeah, he also hit a spot-up dagger three.
All in a day’s work for Boy Wonder.
Herro concluded with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-3 from distance, six rebounds and four assists.
-Andre Iguodala’s defensive activity was simply fantastic against the Knicks.
Whether he was wreaking havoc at the top of the zone, trying to limit Randle or helping out his teammates, he got the job done.
As such, Iguodala led the team with those two steals above to go along with four points on 2-of-5 shooting and two rebounds.
Game Notes:
-The HEAT are now 6-2 on Super Bowl Sunday, including 2-1 against the Knicks in New York.
-Avery Bradley (right calf strain), Dragić (left ankle sprain) and Moe Harkless (left thigh contusion) were active scratches.
-Meyers Leonard (left shoulder surgery) and Chris Silva (left hip flexor strain) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will head home to take on the Knicks once more on Tuesday at 7:30 PM. You can catch all the action on FOX Sports Sun and 790 The Ticket.