Well, the Mitchell Robinson era is off to a tremendous start (2-0).
Despite falling behind by as many as 19 points and 17 midway through the third quarter, the New York Knicks escaped South Beach with a thrilling 116-112 overtime victory over the Miami Heat.
March 2, 2025: Final
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Jalen Brunson does it again
At this point, there’s little reason to cover Jalen Brunson; the man gets it done in every game.
On this particular night, Brunson finished with a team-high 31 points on 13 of 25 shooting, which includes 3 of 11 from downtown and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line. Better yet, the top clutch player in the NBA came up massive in crunch time.
Brunson’s 3-pointer with 2:27 remaining in overtime put New York on top for the remainder of the game.
However, it took some time for the Knicks’ point guard to get going. Miami blitzed the Knicks from the jump, taking a five-point lead into the second quarter and a 17-point lead at halftime.
Eventually, Tom Thibodeau’s squad cut through the 11-point deficit they faced early in the fourth quarter.
Brunson’s running mate, Karl-Anthony Towns, was a bit quiet on the night. Yet, he still collected 19 points on 6-11 from the floor to go along with a team-high 16 boards.
OG Anunoby comes up huge
Perhaps the biggest point of the game came with around a minute to go in regulation.
The Knicks were down four points, and a Brunson shot was off-target. Fortunately, OG Anunoby came from seemingly out of nowhere to tip it in, thus cutting his team’s deficit to two points.
Much like his game-winner in the Knicks’ last game (a win over the Memphis Grizzles), Anunoby was monstrous down the stretch. He never feared the moment and remained calm.
Anunoby finished with 23 points on 9 of 18 shooting, including 4-9 from 3-point land. He also pulled down 9 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, blocked 4 balls, and swiped swiped the opposite twice (2 steals).
Deuce McBride big off the bench
Suddenly, the Knicks’ bench is cruising with Robinson back in the lineup and the team at full strength.
Backup guard Deuce McBride saw big-time clutch minutes in the victory. Late in the fourth quarter, Thibodeau stuck with McBride in Mikal Bridges’s place for a good stretch.
McBride rewarded his coach with 12 points (3 threes) and a +11 in 30 minutes.
Miami’s leaders
For Miami, center Bam Adebayo was a handful all night.
The big man led the Heat with 30 points on an absurdly efficient 12 of 16 from the floor. Interestingly, he pulled down just 7 rebounds.
Kel’el Ware’s 8 rebounds led the Heat, and this kid gave New York headaches in the paint, especially early in the game.
The 7-footer went 6-7 from the floor for 12 points, but the Heat could only play him 29 minutes thanks to Thibodeau’s decision to go with a smaller lineup.
Next for the Knicks
After an off-day on Monday, the New York Knicks will next turn their attention to Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Tuesday night’s tip-off from Madison Square Garden is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Through 60 games this season, the Knickerbockers have won 40 games and lost 20.
They remain 2.5 games behind the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Celtics and 2.5 games behind the same team for third place in the Eastern Conference.
