How It Happened:Without Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose on the floor, the Knicks stormed into the Heat’s building to capture an impressive 98-94 road victory. Head coach Jeff Hornacek adjusted his lineup due to the injuries and placed Ron Baker, Courtney Lee, Sasha Vujacic, Kristaps Porzingis, and Willy Hernagomez on the court to start the contest. This group responded by taking an early 11-point lead and 33-29 advantage heading into the second quarter. Miami managed to battle back in the fourth frame by trimming New York’s lead to just two points with 3:43 remaining in the game. Lee snatched a steal on Goran Dragic, which led to a fast break layup from Justin Holiday. Once again, Lee delivered with a midrange jumper to push the Knicks lead back to six points with 2:21 on the clock. With only 6.6 seconds to go in the game, Miami had one last opportunity but a Hassan Whiteside putback attempt was called an offensive basket interference. New York escaped with the win to secure the season series in the final meeting between the two teams.
Knick of the Night:Porzingis hit 10-of-18 shots from the floor, scored a team-high 22 points, and grabbed seven boards in the win. Notables:Lee was instrumental in the win with 20 points, Hernagomez collected 12 rebounds, Holiday posted 12 points off the pine.
News and Notes:Anthony was sidelined due to a sore lower back, Rose missed his second straight game with a sore knee, and Lance Thomas was out with a hip injury.
Statistically Speaking:New York won the battle in the paint by outscoring Miami 48-38. The road team racked up 25 assists and forced nine steals in the victory.
Next Up:The Knicks will return to New York following the contest in Miami and have a day off to prepare for a matchup against the Celtics on Sunday afternoon at MSG.