Field Level Media
Jan 27, 2019
Wayne Ellington scored 10 of his team-high 19 points in the final 2:16 as the Miami Heat held off the host New York Knicks for a 106-97 victory on Sunday night.
The Heat have won two straight. The Knicks have lost nine straight and 17 of their last 18.
Hassan Whiteside had 13 points, including the layup that gave the Heat the lead for good with 3:12 remaining, and grabbed 16 rebounds. Dwyane Wade, playing his penultimate game at Madison Square Garden, added 15 points and 10 assists for Miami, which had four other players score in double figures. James Johnson had 13, Josh Richardson tallied 12, and Kelly Olynyk and Justise Winslow had 11 apiece.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points for the Knicks and was the only starter with more than six points. Trey Burke (16 points), Damyean Dotson (14), Mario Hezonja (12) and Allonzo Trier (11) all reached double figures off the bench.
Miami appeared to be on its way to a relatively easy victory when it overcame a nine-point first half deficit and took a handful of 13-point leads spanning the third and fourth quarters.
But the Heat went ice-cold from the field and missed seven straight field goal attempts during an 18-5 run by the Knicks, who tied it at 90-90 on a 3-pointer by Hardaway with 4:01 left.
The Knicks had a chance to take the lead when Hezonja stole the ball from Johnson, but Burke missed a layup.
Whiteside drained his basket on the Heat's next trip, after which Hezonja missed another chance to give New York the lead by misfiring on a 3-pointer.
Ellington then put the Knicks away by scoring the Heat's next eight points, including consecutive contested 3-pointers following a pair of free throws by Hardaway that allowed Miami to extend its lead to 100-92 with 1:08 left. New York never got any closer than six the rest of the way.
The Knicks led 26-25 at the end of the first quarter and 58-52 at halftime. The Heat finished the third quarter on a 20-6 run and never trailed again after Johnson's jumper put Miami ahead 66-64 with 6:03 left in the period.
--Field Level Media