Clutch shooting, Karl-Anthony Towns' eruption push Knicks to win over Heat

Clutch shooting, Karl-Anthony Towns’ eruption push Knicks to win over Heat

The Knicks used some timely hoops to pull out a 116-107 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night at the Kaseya Center.

Here are some takeaways…

– Josh Hart came into this contest as a game-time decision due to a lower leg contusion, but after going through pregame warmups he was able to take the court with New York’s regular starting five of himself, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns.

– Tom Thibodeau said that the Knicks had to generate more threes following their disappointing loss to the Cavaliers on Monday night, and they certainly answered the bell right out of the gate in this one, as more than half of the shots they attempted in the opening quarter were from behind the arc. Unfortunately for them, the Tyler Herro led Heat opened the game shooting a whopping 60 percent from the field to jump out to an early lead.

– One of the biggest reasons New York was able to hang around was an extremely hot start from Towns. After the big man attempted just eight field goals in total on Monday, they put an emphasis on getting him involved early and often, and he responded by putting together easily his best half of the season.

Towns had it going from the get-go as he knocked down five of his first eight shots from the field for 12 first-quarter points. He continued dominating in the second, getting Heat big man Bam Adebayo into early foul trouble, while also doubling his point total and hauling in four more rebounds. Miami continued the hot shooting of their own, though, and led by six at the half.

– The Heat came out of the break flying and they were able to push the lead up to as much as 13, but after a timeout the Knicks responded right back in a big way. Started by a stretch of eight consecutive points, New York went on an incredible third quarter run to help them not only close the deficit, but to jump in front by as much as seven. In a collective effort, the Knicks scored a combined 35 points and shot 8-for-13 from downtown in the frame.

– After a quiet start to the night, Terry Rozier came alive with 10 early fourth quarter points to help the Heat get back to within four. But the Knicks’ red-hot shooting proved to be too much down the stretch as they received clutch bucket after clutch bucket from up-and-down the lineup to pull out their second win of the season.

– Coming off his quiet night, Towns erupted for a game-high 44 points on 17-of-24 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point land while reeling in 13 rebounds in 38 spectacular minutes. This is exactly the type of effort the Knicks envisioned when they acquired the All-Star in a deal with the Timberwolves this offseason.

– Brunson had a quiet opening half but he came through when the Knicks needed him the most, finishing with 22 points on 6-of-18 shooting while dishing out a game-high nine assists. Hart showed no ill-effects coming off his injury, making big baskets in the fourth to finish with 10 points of his own while reeling in a game-high 14 rebounds. Anunoby had 11 points, Bridges knocked down four threes, and Deuce McBride contributed 10 points off the bench.

Game MVP: Towns

The big man said coming into the night that he’s liked playing in Miami throughout his career and he certainly showed that tonight, putting together his best effort since joining the Knicks.