Knicks take game two, 111-105 to even series with Miami

The Knicks evened up the series against the Heat with a hard-fought 111-105 win in Game 2. The game was tightly contested, with neither team leading by more than eight points throughout the contest.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks in scoring with 30 points, including 6-10 from beyond the arc, 23 of which came in the second half.

Julius Randle, who missed game 1 due to an ankle injury, returned to the lineup and put up an impressive 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. RJ Barrett added 24 points, while Josh Hart contributed 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists with 10 of his points coming in the final quarter, including two clutch threes down the stretch.

Brunson made a key 3-pointer while Isiah Hartenstein was fouled, converting the free throw to make it a four-point play, cutting the lead to 93-91 with 6:42 left in the fourth quarter. The Knicks then went on an 8-0 run in a span of 3 minutes to take a 101-96 lead with 2:43 left to play.

The Heat fought back, with Bam Adebayo cutting the Knicks’ lead to 101-100 with just under two minutes left in the game. However, the Knicks responded by scoring the next 7 points to seal the victory.

“I thought in the second half we competed really well. We had a lot of guys step up and play really well.”

– Tom Thibodeau

In contrast to game 1, the Knicks shot better from beyond the arc, making 16 of their 40 attempts compared to the Heat’s 17 of 49. The Knicks also shot a solid 70% from the free throw line.

The Heat played without Jimmy Butler, who was sidelined with an ankle injury sustained in game 1. Caleb Martin led the Heat in scoring with 22 points, followed closely by Gabe Vincent with 21 points, and Max Strus with 17 points.

Up-next: With the series tied at 1-1, both teams will look to take control in game 3, which will take place in Miami on Saturday afternoon from 3:30pm