MIAMI — Possibly because of this the Kaseya Middle at all times seems like a walk-in freezer.
Black curtains entice the humid South Seaside air outdoors whereas frigid gusts whip by the sector bowl, a chill that appears to seep into visiting groups. And for the second straight journey to Miami, the Knicks froze.
They misplaced their first recreation of the season on these identical flooring again on Oct. 26, an evening they blamed on open threes refusing to fall. Monday’s issues went effectively past the arc — however the capturing droop was acquainted — in a 115–113 loss to the Warmth.
New York opened the evening 6-of-30 from deep throughout the primary 45 minutes earlier than Miles McBride lastly cracked by, drilling back-to-back threes to tug the Knicks inside 4 with below two minutes left. It echoed their 15-of-54 brickfest within the October assembly.
This time, although, the Knicks had been much more shorthanded. Jalen Brunson (sprained ankle) and OG Anunoby (hamstring pressure) each missed the opener of this five-game journey, with Anunoby staying dwelling for therapy.
And naturally, the Knicks rediscovered the three-ball too late. Karl-Anthony Cities hit his first triple — after six straight misses — with 22.4 seconds left to chop Miami’s result in 114-113. Landry Shamet then deliberately fouled Davion Mitchell, who cut up the pair to maintain the door open.
McBride missed a pull-up that might have tied it, the Knicks pressured a soar ball on the rebound, Cities received the tip, and McBride missed a point-blank layup. Cities gathered that rebound, too, however his fading jumper on the horn hit again iron.
“We had a timeout, but most times, in that situation, it’s almost like a defensive rebound. Like most teams, [the Heat] were confused,” head coach Mike Brown mentioned after the sport. “Robust shot in all probability by Deuce initially, however he obtained it up on the glass, and we had a numbers benefit as a result of they weren’t matched up. In order that scenario, I might do once more. Simply go play.
“[We’ll] go back and see if anyone was open, but I’ll take that again and put the defense in scramble mode before calling a timeout, letting them get set and letting them talk about what we’re gonna do.”
Cities completed with 22 factors and 16 rebounds on 7-of-20 capturing. McBride scored a game-high 25 on 10-of-23, whereas Mikal Bridges added 23 on 9-of-14 — however didn’t rating within the fourth quarter.
“I think I was still aggressive [in the fourth quarter],” mentioned Bridges, noting the Warmth didn’t do something to take him out of his scoring rhythm. “I think I made some passes.”
The Knicks’ protection faltered late as effectively. Miami shot 14-of-35 from three (40%), with Simone Fontecchio and Dru Smith combining for seven threes on 11 makes an attempt off the bench. The Warmth had been additionally with out stars Bam Adebayo (toe) and Tyler Herro (ankle surgical procedure) however discovered sufficient spacing and motion to take advantage of New York’s coverages.
“I don’t think we played bad [late]. Deuce had an open look at the top. [Jordan Clarkson] had an open look in the corner. They just didn’t fall,” mentioned Hart. “I believe [Miami] made a pair robust photographs. Dru Smith made like three or 4 threes right this moment.
“In that stretch, we didn’t play bad basketball. Sometimes, plus minuses are a little misleading. We had good shots that didn’t fall and they had some tough shots that fell.”
Earlier than the sport, Brown acknowledged the problem of balancing paint safety with fashionable spacing.
“There are a couple things we can do [to improve our three-point defense], and hopefully we’ll get better at it,” Brown mentioned. “Lots of the highest groups — Oklahoma Metropolis, even Miami — quit numerous threes as a result of their emphasis is on defending the paint. We’re no completely different.
“Shots in the paint are a lot easier than threes. But we have to do a better job guarding the ball. Teams are probably gonna shoot a lot against us because we’re trying to protect the paint. Hopefully we get to where our closeouts are more impactful, and that starts with guarding the basketball.”
The Knicks didn’t clear that bar on Monday — and in Miami’s deep freeze, their capturing by no means thawed in time.
In the meantime, seven Warmth gamers scored in double figures led by 19 from Norman Powell and 18 from Mitchell. The Warmth bench outscored New York’s, 43-28, because the Knicks solely obtained scoring manufacturing from two reserves: Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson.
And the final time the Knicks misplaced in South Seaside? It sparked a troubling three-game shedding streak with every defeat exacerbating the problems prevailing in every earlier loss.
The Knicks doubtless received’t face the identical points: They journey to Dallas to face the Mavericks (4-10) on Wednesday, have two days off earlier than a rematch in opposition to the Orlando Magic, then have two gimme video games in opposition to Japanese Convention bottom-dwellers: Brooklyn and Charlotte.
As for New York’s crunch time struggles? The Knicks missed a ton of photographs down the stretch, however by no means worry: Brunson will quickly seem. The captain who’s been sidelined since Wednesday’s loss to the Magic shot across the identical ice-cold Kaseya Middle flooring forward of tipoff on Monday.
Brunson’s workforce did a very good job holding down the fort for 47 minutes, however they might have used the captain with the sport on the road.
