Jimmy Butler had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and the No. 8-seeded Heat kept rolling after barely reaching the postseason, beating the Knicks 108-101 on Sunday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. NewYorkForever
RJ Barrett scored 26 points and Jalen Brunson had 25 for the fifth-seeded Knicks, who are in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2013. They started strong and led most of the first half, but the Heat eventually got the Madison Square Garden crowd quieter and quieter as the game went on.The Knicks were without All-Star forward Julius Randle because of a sprained left ankle and they surely missed him when the transition points dried up and it became a half-court game.
They did it without needing the type of huge performances Butler delivered in the first round, when he scored 56 and 42 points in the final two games. He did plenty of other things they needed, including staying in the game after getting hurt with 5:05 to play, remaining on the court for a while and then limping to the bench during a timeout before coming back out to shoot the free throws.
Butler gave the Heat a good start in a renewal of what was once a fierce rivalry, with the teams meeting four straight years from 1997-2000. The Knicks won the last three of those but have work to do if they're going to take this one.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NBA playoffs: Heat star Jimmy Butler rolls ankle in Game 1 win over KnicksThe Miami Heat picked up a huge 108-101 win over the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon to kick off their Eastern Conference semifinals series at Madison Square Garden.
Read more »
NBA playoffs: Gabe Vincent sets tone to help Heat overcome ankle injury to Jimmy ButlerNEW YORK — After a training staffer laid a blue towel on the floor before his locker, Gabe Vincent plopped his back onto the cushioning and stretched his sneakers onto his seat, where he had just been resting. Miami's starting point guard closed his eyes and draped a black T-shirt over his face, meditating, shut off from the world, even with his head positioned mere inches from the entryway to the Heat's pregame dressing area inside Madison Square Garden.
Read more »
Tom Thibodeau on Jimmy Butler’s ascension: ‘I’ll be honest — I didn’t see this’“I’ll be honest — I didn’t see this,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Jimmy Butler’s ascension to one of the top players in the NBA.
Read more »
NBA playoffs: Slowing down Jimmy Butler is Knicks' No. 1 priority
Read more »
It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity: Moisture increases heat risk in urban climatesA new study determined that some efforts to reduce the heat, either through trees or vegetation, were essentially erased due to the air’s moisture causing feel-like temperatures to soar.
Read more »
FanDuel Promo Code: Jump on $150 for Heat vs. Knicks, any gameThe FanDuel promo code lets new customers get $150 in bonus bets with a first bet of $5.
Read more »