RJ Barrett benched in Knicks loss with Derrick Rose trade over

RJ Barrett wasn’t in Super Bowl scoring mode on Sunday, but when he made a defensive mistake, it was the last straw for Tom Thibodeau.

Barrett was benched in the fourth quarter, finishing with three points, as the Heat escaped with a 109-103 Garden victory in a Sunday morning.

Julius Randle had 26 points and added 12 rebounds and seven assists. Reggie Bullock was on fire at 3 points, hitting in seven 3s, for 21 points.

But the Knicks (11-14) showed they couldn’t win unless Barrett was a major factor, and he was out. Barrett only played 19 minutes and shot 1 of 6 as the Knicks saw their two-game winning streak halt. Barrett was scoreless in the first half.

Sources said the Knicks agreed to a trade for Derrick Rose, in part to give them more offensive firepower in the dying minutes. The Knicks were frozen at the end. Randle missed a 3 corner with the Knicks down 103-99 with 1:33 left.

Still down 3, Alec Burks – in play for Barrett – edged a 3 point. Miami’s Tyler Herro came down and froze the win with a 3-point with 33 seconds left as Miami reversed some recent bad fortunes to move to 9-14.

Bullock, who started all 20 games he’s played, hit six 3-pointers in the first half on eight attempts. Bullock received a handful of assists from Randle off the team doubles.

The Knicks tied a season high with 17-3, but that wasn’t enough as they scored just 44 points in the second half.

Bullock’s shooting skill got the Knicks 60-59 at halftime. Kendrick Nunn of Miami, an undrafted guard, led the Heat with 14 points in the first half – making 4 of 5 3 points.

With the Knicks missing backup center Nerlens Noel, Taj Gibson came off the bench for a spark, scoring nine points, making all four of his shots.

The Knicks have used the same starting lineup 20 times – the best in the league for continuity. The only time Thibodeau swung was when Bullock was injured. In contrast, Miami has had 16 different starting rosters due to injuries and COVID-19 contact tracing.

Ahead of the game, Thibodeau praised his former player, Jimmy Butler, who finished with 17 points. He said the Heat was struggling with Butler’s various injuries and other COVID-19 absences. The Heat are now 6-5 with Butler and 3-9 without.