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Since acquiring OG Anunoby, the New York Knicks might have to continue this way without Julius Randle.
Jalen Brunson had 32 points and eight assists and the Knicks beat Miami 125-109 on Saturday, winning their sixth straight game and sending the Heat to their sixth straight loss.
Randle added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks, but left with 4:27 left after appearing to land hard on his right shoulder as Jaime Jaquez Jr. stood in front of him trying to take advantage of Randle’s drive to the basket. Coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game that Randle was being evaluated by the team’s medical staff, but had no further details.
But the fact that Randle, who never tries to talk about how he feels, had to quickly withdraw from the game made it clear that some kind of injury was involved.
“You knew I wanted him to do that, he’s a guy that plays through things and that’s what we love about him,” Thibodeau said. “He’s a warrior and every time someone comes back, you know it’s something.”
Shortly before that, Brunson helped the Knicks break open for good with a 13-3 run to open the fourth quarter. He then sent the Heat to a timeout as a sellout crowd roared when his 3-pointer midway through the period made the score 112-96.
Anunoby also scored 19 points for the Knicks, who improved to 12-2 this month after his first start on New Year’s Day. He could take on a larger role now if Randle has to miss significant time.
“You don’t want to see that from anyone, especially the way he’s been playing and it means a lot to us,” Brunson said of Randle. “So for him to go back there is obviously not ideal, but like I said, once we find out what’s wrong, we’ll go from there.”
Jimmy Butler scored 28 points for the Heat, who got Jáquez back after a six-game absence with a groin injury, but were outscored 36-23 in the fourth quarter. Duncan Robinson scored 19 points and Tyler Herro finished with 18.
Kevin Love also returned from illness and finally gave the Heat their full roster of players. Coach Erik Spoelstra said it was just as important for the Heat to get back to the way they normally compete. They certainly fell short of their standard on Thursday when they were defeated 143-110 on their own court by Boston.
The Heat looked much more like themselves, but after Butler rallied them from a 13-point deficit to tie it late in the third quarter, the game quickly slipped away while he was on the bench resting to start the quarter.
Brunson scored two baskets in New York’s burst to open the quarter and finished 12 of 22 from the field, making four 3-pointers.
The Knicks were 13 of 18 (72%) in the quarter, when the Heat committed five turnovers that resulted in nine points.
“Our turnovers during the game were okay, but I felt like we probably had four or five big ones in that fourth quarter and then defensively, I don’t remember us being able to get stops,” Spoelstra said.
The Knicks led 82-69 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, but Butler scored nine points and Robinson hit two 3-pointers in a 17-4 run that tied the score at 86 with 13 seconds left. Randle hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Knicks the lead heading back into the fourth.
Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein returned after missing two games with a left Achilles tendon injury and had four points and six rebounds.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Heat: Host Phoenix on Monday night.
Knicks: At Charlotte on Monday night.
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NBA AP: https://apnews.com/NBA
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