Led by Hassan Whiteside and Josh Richardson, the Heat gave the Knicks their first blow out of the season in a 110-87 loss in Miami on Wednesday night. >> Read more
Things to know about tonight's game...
1) As the scoreboard indicates, the Knicks' defense was paltry in this one. The Heat shot 49.4 percent from the field, which included a third quarter that saw the Knicks go 15-for-20 from the field. Miami also shot 48 percent from beyond the arc with Richardson knocking down a team-high five.
2) With the Knicks in such a deficit, Tim Hardaway Jr. only saw 22 minutes on the floor. He only collected 14 points, while Damyean Dotson led the Knicks with 17 points over a team-high 33 minutes.
3) Trey Burke had a rough night, shooting 1-for-10 with a lone three-pointer falling. Fizdale didn't put him back out in the second half. Allonzo Trier also struggled with a 2-for-8, four-point performance.
Ok, @23savage____ pic.twitter.com/z1ymTF5PGW
- NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 25, 2018
👌 for @mariohezonja pic.twitter.com/P5u0q8nC27
- NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 25, 2018
Defense to 💥for @FrankLikina pic.twitter.com/7siy73lQCi
- NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 25, 2018
Jake Brown | Twitter |
The third quarter tonight felt like deja vu. It was like watching the 2017-2018 Knicks and not the 2018-2019 Knicks come out of halftime. The Heat were draining every shot in sight, while the Knicks could not buy a bucket. After a first half that saw the Knicks make nine three-pointers, they were nauseating to watch in the second half, going from a two-point game to a 26-point blowout in the blink of an eye.
That deficit was just too big of a hole to try and climb out of, and this is something we saw that over and over last season. When a team is knocking down shots at the rate the Heat were in the third quarter, it's difficult to have a chance. This is the first game for the Knicks where there weren't many positives to take out of it. The defensive effort wasn't there in the second half, and they couldn't knock down open shots.
Mario Hezonja was just firing up shots at an alarming rate, missing most of them. While Coach Fizdale said for Hezonja to 'let it fly,' he might want to tone it down a little bit.
Tonight shows that the Knicks will struggle offensively. Not having rookie Kevin Knox or veteran Courtney Lee definitely hurts. There is a chance they get Lee back Friday against the Warriors, which would be a big boost for them off the bench. They really could use another scorer, and Lee can give them that. He's also got to be able to play to give him any sort of trade value.
The Knicks will need to erase the second half from their memories tonight, because they got the defending champs coming to their house next.
What's Next: The Knicks host the 2017-18 NBA Champion Warriors at The Garden on Friday at 7:30 p.m.