The Knicks outscored the Heat by 13 down the stretch in what became a nail-biting thriller in the final minutes and went on to win 124-121 at MSG on Sunday. >> Box Score
Five things to know from Sunday's game
1) The Knicks entered the fourth quarter down by 13 points despite the game having a closer feel than that throughout. But New York put up 40 points on Miami in the final 12 minutes to come back and beat one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Jimmy Butler's mishandled pass to Bam Adebayo, that was stolen by RJ Barrett, all but sealed the win for the Knicks.
Adebayo got a three-pointer up with 0.5 seconds left that connected, but the shot came after the buzzer and was waved off, handing the Knicks arguably their biggest win of the season.
2) Barrett went 2-of-4 from the foul line in the final 20 seconds of play, certainly something he will hope to work on throughout his career. But the two made baskets were enough to get the Knicks up by three with 2.7 seconds left before the final shot from Adebayo.
3) Julius Randle returned for the Knicks after missing two games due to the passing of his grandmother, and was a key factor in the win. Randle led the Knicks in scoring with 26 points on 10-of-26 shooting. He chipped in eight boards, four assists and two steals, as well.
4) The Knicks managed to come together and put out a team effort in the absence of Marcus Morris, their leading scorer. Seven Knicks scored in double figures Sunday night, including all five starters. Barrett added 23 points, five rebounds and three assists on the night, while also grabbing two steals to continue being one of the top rookies in steals this season.
5) Jimmy Butler was on triple-double watch but fell a bit short with 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The guard has led this Miami squad to the No. 2 seed in the east for what might be the most shocking storyline of the year thus far.
Highlights
RJ with the FLUSH!
- Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 12, 2020
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What's next
The Knicks will head to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on Tuesday night at 8 p.m.