NBA: RJ Barrett, Knicks withstand Heat’s late comeback

RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks looks on during the second round at Madison Square Garden on January 16, 2023 in New York City. The Toronto Raptors defeated the New York Knicks 123-121 in overtime. Elsa/Getty Images/AFP

RJ Barrett had 30 points and eight rebounds and Julius Randle added 23 and 10, respectively, to propel the host New York Knicks to a 106-104 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday.

Barrett made 13 of 23 shots from the floor to record a rebound performance after he was benched for half of the fourth quarter and all of overtime as New York beat the Los Angeles Lakers 129-123 on Tuesday.

Randle, who scored 19 points in the first half on Thursday, was selected as an All-Star Game reserve prior to the contest.

30 PTS
8 WEDNESDAY
4 AST

RJ Barrett and the Knicks take home the W. pic.twitter.com/ybO07rfooS

— NBA (@NBA) February 3, 2023

Quentin Grimes finished with 17 points for the Knicks, who played without Jalen Brunson (non-COVID illness). Brunson was two days removed from scoring 37 points against the Lakers.

Miami’s Bam Adebayo, who was also selected as a reserve for the NBA All-Star Game, finished with 32 points and nine rebounds. Tyler Herro hit four 3-pointers to highlight a 25-point performance and Max Strus made five shots from beyond the arc to score 17 points for the Heat.

Miami cut a five-point deficit to one before Isaiah Hartenstein’s dunk gave New York a 104-101 lead with 33.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Randle’s basket with 5.2 seconds to play provided insurance.

Strus missed a 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left, and the coach’s challenge gave the Heat another chance. Herro’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer was missed to end the game.

Jimmy Butler’s bucket capped a 21-4 run to give Miami a 69-66 lead late in the third before New York finished the quarter on an 11-3 run. Miles McBride and Grimes highlighted the latter’s surge by sinking 3-pointers.

The Heat scored 20 of their first 29 points in the second quarter to take a 42-37 lead before the Knicks responded in style. Randle scored seven of his team’s final 14 points to end the half and give New York a 51-48 advantage at the break.

Barrett scored nine points during New York’s 11-0 surge to start the third quarter before the Heat fought back with a 21-4 run. Herro drained a trio of 3-pointers and Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry each connected from beyond the arc during that sequence to give Miami a 69-66 lead.

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