Lowly Heat Snap Knicks three-game winning streak

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said during the NBA Finals last October that he would like to build a solid defensive culture like Pat Riley’s Miami Heat.

Thibodeau did a great job trying to get there, but his Knicks still can’t beat the Heat.

Their three-game winning streak shattered, the Knicks allowed Miami to sweep the season series, 3-0, as Thibodeau’s favorite player Jimmy Butler led a second-half comeback with 27 points.

With Miami going downhill and dirtier than the Knicks, the Heat won 98-88 at the Garden.

“We knew it would be that type of game based on the previous games we’ve had against them,” said Thibodeau. “There wasn’t a lot of pace in the game. It was combat, scratches, claws on every square inch of the ground. It’s not easy to have a rhythm in this type of game. ”

After making the final in the Orlando Bubble last season, the Heat were a big disappointment and came to the Garden on a six-game losing streak, shockingly ahead of the Knicks in the standings. But they looked like the Heat bubble defending themselves with menacing Riley’s glee.

The Knicks shot just 41 percent and, worse, gave up 12 offensive rebounds.

“We got all the shots we wanted, we just didn’t do them,” said Julius Randle. “When we don’t shoot the way we want to, we have to be able to squeeze in on the defensive end and get saves, which we didn’t do in the third quarter. And then they checked the glass which I need to do a better job of. Everything they did to beat us up, we felt it was on us and manageable. I could do a better job starting with me. ”

Randle, who missed the first game of his season in Milwaukee on Saturday, had no rhythm despite a good ending. He finished with 22 points but shot just 7 of 17 with five turnovers. Randle said he got “aggressive” too late.

“When you miss a game like this, you don’t have your normal pace,” said Thibodeau.

Swingman RJ Barrett was beaten by Butler, who scored 15 points in the third quarter when Miami took control. Barrett finished with just eight points on 4 of 12 shots – two digits missing for the first time in 15 outings. Butler also had six assists and five rebounds.

“He’s a really smart player, he knows how to get to the basket,” Barrett said. “He knows how to make mistakes. He gets help. He’s a real offensive talent. ”

In the Tuck East, the Knicks fell to 24-23, in fifth place, while eighth-place Heat improved to 23-24.

There is always a possibility that the two rivals from the 1990s will face off in the play-in tournament which features the 7-10 seeds.

Miami played an area designed to challenge the Knicks’ long distance shots, but Thibodeau said his club have been good against that defense all season.

“We didn’t pitch early on,” said Thibodeau. “The firing piece is critical. But we had a seven point lead at the half and we went out for those first five minutes and they got us. ”

The Miami defense forced the Knicks to miss their first eight shots in a 16-point first quarter. The Knicks came out of it in the second period when a 16-0 run saw them take control – 43-36 at halftime in a defensive brawl.

Butler started rolling in the third quarter, dropping in nine straight points as the Heat tied at 47-47 with 9:10 remaining and they were on their way to the win.

Early in the fourth, Miami scored on a 3-point Tyler Herro after a possession in which the Heat gave up for three offensive rebounds. Two of them were forward Bam Adebayo, who finished with 20 points, 17 rebounds – seven on the offensive glass.

“We just have to give up and play harder, which is what it really comes down to,” Randle said. “Bouncing is all effort and energy. ”