Heat Today: Miami falls to .500 after Knicks’ second-half takeover

The Miami Heat’s second loss of the season was mostly another tale of two halves. In the opening two periods, Tyler Herro led the way with his hot hand as Miami’s defense let Karl-Anthony Towns cook. After halftime, the same thing basically happened, but Miami’s offense beyond Herro’s season-best performance didn’t truly pick up.

Entering Wednesday night’s matchup against the division-rival New York Knicks, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was blunt about what he expected in comparison to Miami’s prior two games: “A ‘W.’”

On the other side, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was complimentary of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo’s respective abilities to impact games, but neither Heat star truly took over as Herro’s 20 shot attempts outpaced Butler and Adebayo combined (14). 

Miami enjoyed a strong start to Wednesday’s game and took a 58-52 lead into halftime before things fell apart in the second half, similar to its season-opening loss to the Orlando Magic, who outscored the Heat by 15 in the final two periods to cap that win.

As KAT and company got more comfortable in Miami, cheers from Knicks fans grew louder while the Heat’s offense sought cohesion until time expired. The Heat are now .500 and have lost seven of their last nine matchups against their longtime foe.

Game result: Knicks 116 (2-2), Heat 107 (2-2)

• Knicks top performers: Karl-Anthony Towns (season-high 44 points, 4-5 3-pt FG, 13 rebounds, two assists), Jalen Brunson (18 of 22 points in second half, nine assists, one turnover), Josh Hart (10 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, one steal, zero turnovers)
• Heat top performers: Tyler Herro (season-high 34 points, 8-13 3-pt FG, seven assists, five rebounds, one turnover), Jimmy Butler (15 points, four rebounds, four assists, four turnovers)

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Key in-game stretch

• Period: The entire third quarter … again
• Score before it fell apart: MIA 58-52 | Score once it fell apart: NYK 87-80
• How it unfolded: Though Towns enjoyed a high-scoring first half (24 points), New York took over the game as KAT grew stronger throughout. He maintained his scoring touch in the second half, but his hot hand became infectious as his New York teammates found some scoring rhythm in the third quarter. Towns scored six in this period as Jalen Brunson (10) and Mikal Bridges (eight, including two 3s) helped carry the load. Once the quarter was ready to begin, Miami’s six-point halftime lead became a six-point deficit. Towns’ 14-point fourth quarter effectively sealed the deal.

What the Heat are saying

• Terry Rozier III (on when game turned against Miami): “I think we wanted to take care of the third quarter because it’s been hurting us these first three games. We think we controlled it at the beginning, and, then we didn’t stay with it. We didn’t do the things that got us the lead. It’s tough to not score then get back on defense and definitely not guard nobody, especially once they start feeling (themselves). It’s a little bit of both, but you got to give them credit too.”
• Tyler Herro (on scoring duel against Towns): “He’s a handful. He’s a 7-footer who can put it on the floor, or can make deep 3s. He’s obviously a handful in the paint. I think he caught a rhythm early and was able to sustain that throughout the whole game. I think we could’ve (done) a better job just putting bodies on him, making things tougher. Also, Bam got in foul trouble early, so Bam kind of couldn’t play aggressive on that side.”
• Erik Spoelstra (on how Knicks turned game around): “I don’t know if we held Brunson down in the first half. I think it was very intentional, and it was well-documented that Towns hadn’t gotten going yet this season, and Brunson mentioned he was going to take the responsibility to get him the ball, and he did. It was very clear they were trying to get him the ball, and Brunson was just kind of facilitating in the first half. And then, when he needed to make plays in the second half — particularly late third and fourth — he was able to do that as well.”
• Jimmy Butler (on whether Towns’ big night was to New York’s credit or Miami’s fault): “A little bit of both. I don’t think we made too many people’s shots difficult tonight — lazy on the defensive rebounding side of the ball. We talked about that, so we’ve got to correct that. I’d say that’s about it.”

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Next Heat game: Scroll just a wee bit more.

Around the team

Who doesn’t love a good getaway? While Miami’s upcoming R&R will come with a dose of work, it’s hard to not appreciate a timely trip to Mexico, where the Heat will take on the Washington Wizards. The NBA Mexico City Game 2024 will be played on Saturday and will be the NBA’s 33rd game in Mexico since 1992, which is more than any country outside the United States and Canada. Saturday’s matchup will mark Miami’s third game in the country and Washington’s fourth.

The Heat enter this matchup having won seven of the prior 10 meetings, including a 119-107 victory the last time these teams met. We will preview NBA Mexico City 2024 in full tomorrow.

When and how to watch: Saturday at 9:30 p.m. (EST) on NBA TV.

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(Photo: Jeff Haynes / Getty Images )