Knicks grind out gutsy win over Heat to even series at a game apiece
An NBA playoff series often experiences various twists and turns, but rarely do the twists and turns of a few ankles loom so large over a single postseason game.
Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson both shook off ankle injuries to suit up Tuesday night for the Knicks, while Game 1 star Jimmy Butler was unable to go for the Heat.
Brunson started slowly after a self-proclaimed “horrific” Game 1 to score 23 of his 30 points in the second half as the Knicks staged a frantic fourth-quarter comeback to avoid a daunting 0-2 hole.
They pulled out a gritty 111-105 win over the undermanned Heat at a supercharged Madison Square Garden to knot the second-round series before it shifts to Miami for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
“That’s who he is, great leader. Great toughness. He never disappoints you,” coach Tom Thibodeau of Brunson. “Sometimes you can fall short, but there’s no quit in him. He never quits on a play so I can’t say enough about that. He keeps everyone connected.”
Randle also recorded 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists after sitting out the series-opening loss on Sunday following an aggravation of a previous ankle injury in Game 5 of the first round against Cleveland.
“It was hell. Just every day around the clock, trying to get my body right … But I just want to make myself available to the team,” Randle said of preparing to play. “Whatever it takes to win a game, at this point. Very much so a team win, everybody had their moments and stepped up in key moments.”
Brunson answered “yes and no,” when asked if his sore right ankle might have been enough to sit out the game, adding, “It started feeling weird at the end of Game 1 and I was just, like, whatever, but it got worse over time and I had to find a way to be mentally tough and go out there and do it. I’m not going to feel sorry for myself, I’m out here, so let’s go hoop.”
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks vs. Heat NBA playoff series
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- Knicks battle but fall in season-ending Game 6 loss to Heat
- Knicks couldn’t survive two minutes without Brunson
- Brunson’s heroic night spoiled by late turnover
RJ Barrett added 24 points, and heartbeat guard Josh Hart nearly recorded a triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Knicks, including two massive 3-pointers in the closing minutes.
Isaiah Hartenstein also contributed several hustle plays and nine rebounds, including five on the offensive glass.
With Butler sidelined, Caleb Martin scored 22 points and Gabe Vincent had 21 for the Heat, who attempted 49 3-pointers and made 17. Max Strus added 17 before limping off with another ankle injury in the third quarter.
“We expected a different kind of game without Jimmy,” Thibodeau said. “Volume 3s and zone defense.”
The Knicks converted 16 3-pointers after missing 27 of 34 attempts in Game 1, notably including an 0-for-7 showing by Brunson.
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But they came out firing Tuesday night, with Brunson knocking down his first long-range shot and Barrett nailing two in the opening minutes and three overall in the first quarter.
Randle also drained a trey late in the quarter and scored 10 in the first 11 minutes, while Barrett continued pumping in points and finished the period with 16, as the Knicks grabbed a 31-29 lead through one before trailing 54-51 at intermission.
Brunson swished in a trio of 3s and netted 13 in the third quarter to keep the Knicks close, until his lefty runner and a fall-away jumper by Randle gave them a 76-75 advantage with 2:00 to go.
But Vincent’s 20-foot jumper put the Heat up by one entering the final period.
The Knicks trailed by six with 7:06 remaining in regulation, but Brunson sandwiched a corner 3 and a step-back jumper around a Hartenstein free throw for a 93-93 tie midway through the quarter. Hart’s corner 3 forged another tie with 4:45 left, and Brunson rattled one in from long range for a 99-96 lead 40 seconds later.
With the crowd chanting for “de-fense,” the Knicks forced the Heat into a 24-second shot clock violation before Brunson dropped in a floater at the other end for a five-point lead.
“Whenever I can help my team in that way, it’s always a good feeling,” Brunson said. “I still have to be better. There’s a lot more I can be better at.”
After the Heat climbed back within one again, Hart drilled another trey from the right corner before Randle sank two free throws for a 106-100 game with 1:01 to play.
“It’s 50-50, obviously,” Hart said. “Game 1 didn’t end how we wanted it to. But we responded today, we competed at a high level and we got the win.”
