The first outbreak of infighting in the East
The Miami Heat, the first in the East, have had a hard time lately, first to the Philadelphia 76ers, and then to the Golden State Warriors, and it is not shameful to lose to these two teams, but you know, the 76ers did not have Harden Embiid in that game, the Warriors that game, and there was no Splash Brothers and Dream Green. More importantly, in the last game against the Golden State Warriors, Butler and Haslem had an argument, one was the team boss, the other was the team soul, such a discordant scene, really should not be.
In this game, the Miami Heat want to challenge the New York Knicks, the dark horse of the East last season, and the hope of entering the playoffs this season is very slim, but even so, they still have not given up. The Knicks have won three of the last five games, which showed off their outstanding form.
Randle is out with injury
Randle continued to be absent, the Home Heat, the first quarter gave the Knicks a downside, Butler had 10 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists on 3-of-4 shooting, it was simply unstoppable, Dunroe also hit 2 three-pointers, Adebayo 5 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, the Heat scored 32 points in a single quarter, and the Knicks only scored 25 points. After returning from the second quarter, Butler took 7 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, and the Heat blossomed more points and still scored 26 points, while the Knicks' offense was still tepid, with 24 points in a single quarter.
So, by the end of the half, the Heat were already leading the Knicks by as many as nine points at 58-49. In the second half, the Heat continued to exert their strength, Lowry had 10 points and 2 rebounds, Butler had 8 points and 3 rebounds, Adebayo 7 points and 2 rebounds, and the team bombed down 30 points in a single quarter, once taking a 17-point lead, and at the end of the third quarter, it was also 15 points ahead of the Knicks. Everyone felt that when the Heat were about to close the game and end the losing streak, the Knicks' bench in the last quarter played an extraordinary offensive and defensive performance.
Quakely exploded in the final quarter, shooting 4-of-7, with 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal, While Grimes hit three three-pointers, the Heat fell into a scoring drought, scoring only 7 points in 10 minutes, and the Knicks overtook 8 points at one point. At the crucial moment, Strus hit a three-pointer, Barrett made two free throws, and Lowry scored a layup. Gibson dunked and Butler grabbed three-pointers, but it was too late. In the end, the Knicks reversed the Heat 111-103 and successfully gave their opponents three consecutive defeats.
The Heat suffered three consecutive defeats
The Knicks completed a 17-point comeback, and without Randall, Quirkley on the bench was the best, with 23 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, only 24 minutes, Barrett also had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, Topin had 15 points and 8 rebounds, and Burks also had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. The Knicks won the game, five wins from the Hawks in the 10th place in the East, and there was basically no hope of qualifying for the playoffs, but they made the East chaotic again.
The Heat suffered a three-game losing streak, so they only led the Bucks by 0.5 wins, 76 and 1 win over the Celtics, which means that the top four in the East all have a chance to compete for the first place, so who can laugh last? Butler really tried his best in this game, 11 of 17 shots, 7 of 8 free throws, 30 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, and 1 steal and 1 block, but it still can't stop the team's losing streak. Adebayor had 17 points and nine rebounds, Lowry had 17 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Sturus had 11 points, one rebound and three assists.