The New York Knicks bounced back with a 112-103 victory in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals after losing three consecutive games to the Miami Heat, narrowing the series to 3-2.
Jalen Brunson (38 points), R.J. Barrett (26 points) and Julius Randle (24 points) scored a total of 88 points. Their efforts led New York to victory, even though their bench only contributed eight points compared to Miami’s 42 points. With this win, they extend their stay in the semifinals and evade elimination.
The Heat initially had a good chance of winning and advancing to the next round. Jimmy Butler led the team’s efforts with 19 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals.
New York, however, managed to take control in the second quarter and hold off a late comeback attempt from the Heats without their key players, Immanuel Quickley and Evan Fournier.
The Knicks also had a better shooting performance overall. They made 49.3 percent of their field goals, compared to Miami’s 42 percent, which included 30.2 percent of 3-point shooting.
How Knicks control the game
Miami had a strong start in the first quarter with a 24-14 lead, but the Knicks eventually took control of the game with 36 points in the quarter.
This impressive performance began with a quick succession of scores, starting with a Quinten Grimes three-pointer, followed by an alley-oop from Jalen Brunson to Obi Toppin.
They continued to score four more times in a row, which caused the Madison Square Garden crowd to become energized.
Miami struggled to keep up with the Knicks’ energy, calling a timeout when the Knicks had pulled within two points, 26-24, just two minutes into the quarter.
However, the Knicks’ impressive three-minute, 18-2 run was halted by Duncan Robinson’s shot and a powerful dunk by Bam Adebayo. They were eager to show that the Heat were not going to give up easily.
After New York went through a scoring drought of five consecutive missed shots, Miami regained some control of the game. However, Miami couldn’t put any significant damage on the Knicks.
Bam Adebayo, who had a solid game with 18 points and eight rebounds, showed his physical dominance with a powerful put-back dunk in the final minute of the first half.
Julius Randle then stepped up and hit a step-back three-pointer to give the Knicks a 50-47 lead at halftime. This shot was crucial for the Knicks and helped them maintain momentum going into the second half.
In the third quarter, the Heat could only score 27 points to Knicks’ 34 points. Although they managed to outplay the home team by one point, it wasn’t enough, and the Heat had to concede.
Star player
Jalen Brunson did an incredible performance throughout the game, scoring 38 points and adding nine rebounds and seven assists in 48 minutes of play.
“Just tried to do everything I could to win. We did that and now it’s on to Game 6,” said Brunson. He admitted to not having any prior agreement with coach Thibodeau to play for 48 minutes, but he was willing to do so to keep his team alive.
Thibodeau complimented Brunson’s hard work, calling him “an incredible all-around player” with his efforts to win the game.
Brunson’s teammate, Randle, also shared the sentiment.
“He carried us in a big way,” said Randle postgame. “It takes everybody. He was big time, though.”
Quentin Grimes also played a big part in defending Heats star player Jimmy Butler. Grimes dominated the entire 48 minutes despite getting injured, blocking Butler’s first drive and stealing the ball from him on the next possession.
