Knicks outscore Heat 29-11 in fourth quarter for key in-season tournament victory
Jalen Brunson of the Knicks with the ball during In Season Tournament game against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. Credit: Errol Anderson
The court was garishly different, the stakes were nowhere near as high and the Knicks again were playing an elimination game against the Miami Heat.
This time, however, the Knicks were the winners, coming up with a huge fourth quarter to defeat the Heat, 100-98, at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks, who trailed by 21 points in the third quarter, outscored the Heat 29-11 in the fourth quarter after being outscored 37-20 in the third.
Jalen Brunson led the comeback, scoring eight of his 24 points in the final 2:56. Immanuel Quickley scored eight of his 20 and RJ Barrett added eight of his 18 in the fourth quarter.
In his on-court interview after the game, Brunson told ESPN that at one point, a fan turned to him with the Knicks trailing by double-digits and said, “This is embarrassing.”
“I don’t remember when, but I just turned to him and said, ‘I’m doing my best,’ ” Brunson said.
What made Brunson’s performance even more impressive was that he appeared to be playing with an injured shoulder. When he drove to the basket for his first basket of the quarter, he was fouled hard by Bam Adebayo. Brunson rolled on the ground for a few seconds holding the shoulder before pulling it together to shoot a free throw, which he missed.
“He took a pretty hard hit on that,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “That’s who he is. Big shot-making. Great competitor.”
"I'm fine,'' Brunson said.
Adebayo, who missed the previous game with a bruised hip, had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, who lost for just the second time in 11 games. Jimmy Butler scored 23 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. contributed 15 points off the bench. Josh Richardson also had 15 points and Kyle Lowry added 10.
By winning their first meeting since the Heat knocked them out of the playoffs last season, the Knicks kept themselves alive in the NBA’s in-season tournament. With one game remaining, the Heat (10-6 overall) and the Knicks (9-6) have 2-1 records in East Group B play. The Bucks are 3-0.
The Knicks will conclude pool play on Tuesday night against the Hornets (5-9, 1-2). The Heat will play the Bucks. The three could tie at 3-1, in which case the team that advances will be decided by point differential.
While some have shrugged off playing in the tournament, which will conclude early next month in Las Vegas, Brunson is up for it.
“It’s something to win. As a competitor, you want to win whatever is in front of you,” he said. “No matter what it is, it’s just another opportunity, really. Put me anywhere. I’ll play wherever.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is the intensity of the rivalry between the two teams. Last year’s playoffs revived the rivalry that existed between the Knicks and the Heat in the 1990s. It’s clear these are two teams that respect and badly want to beat each other.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra got to know some of the Knicks this past summer when he coached them on Team USA. “I really, unfortunately, came to like not only Josh Hart but Jalen Brunson,” Spoelstra said. “I really wanted to come out of that experience disliking them even more. I think we’ll be able to get past that. It’s still Heat-Knicks. I know how they’re wired. They know how we’re wired. It’s still going to have that kind of competitive spirit to it.”
And one gets the feeling this won’t be the last heated game between the two teams.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
