Heat Wins 97-78 as Anthony is Held Scoreless After Hot First Quarter

The New York Knicks had a rematch against the Miami Heat Friday night, and looked for redemption after getting scorched earlier in the week.

Monday night, New York had one of their worst half of basketball in this young season; allowing Miami to go on a 29-4 run in the first half. The game was pretty much uncompetitive from that point on, falling to the Heat 95-78. It looked like it might be more of the same early on Friday night with a furious Dwayne Wade dunk that gave the Heat an 9-4 lead.

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New York this time around showed some fight at the first sign of adversity, responding with a 9-0 run which gave New York a 13-9 lead midway through the first quarter.

Carmelo Anthony had a great first quarter, scoring 11 of the Knicks’ 27 points in the period. Anthony had a nice sequence of plays that included an alley opp from Kyle O’Quinn, and then hitting a three-pointer on the following possession that gave New York a 23-22 lead.

Chris Bosh caught fire for the Heat early and often in the second quarter, scoring eight straight points early on and totaled 16 points in the period when all was said and done. Bosh finished the game with 20 points. The Knicks were able to withstand the assault though, losing only by one point at the half 50-49.

New York’s bench Friday night was more productive in the first half than their previous two outing combined! Against the Heat the bench scored 10 points and against the Magic the bench scored 12 points. Friday night, the bench scored 25 points in the first half alone! New York finished the game with 46 bench points, so the bench did their part; unfortunately… the starters did not.

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New York put themselves behind the 8-ball early in the second half, with Kristaps Porzingis foolishly committing his fourth foul two minutes into the period and then a mini 6-0 Heat run gave Miami a 58-53 with 7:34 remaining in the third quarter. Things only got worse… as the Knicks went down by as many as 11 points in the period, shooting a dismal 28% from the field.

In the fourth quarter Gerald Green went nuts and completely put the Knicks away, scoring a dozen points in a 14-2 Heat run that gave Miami a 20 point lead midway through the final period; 92-72. Green finished the game with 25 points, including four three-pointers in his second start of the season.

Knicks lost 97-78 as Porzingis played only 23 foul plagued minutes… Also, after Anthony’s hot first quarter to start the game, Melo was completely shut down… going scoreless the rest of the way! The Heat did a great job of double teaming Anthony, forcing him to give up the ball or take a heavily contested shot. With Porzingis mostly on the bench, it was easy for Miami to double team without consequences.

Another huge advantage that Miami had Friday night was free-throws. The Heat took 28 free-throws, as compared the Knicks’ 15 but what can you expect when you are facing Wade… Although the Knicks fouling a three-point shooter also did not help the cause…

Next: Does Kristaps Porzingis' Future Lie at Center?

The Knicks losing streak is now extended to three games. Up next? The Houston Rockets. Which might be just what the doctor ordered, as this was the last time New York tasted victory (a mere week ago).