An NBA playoff series often experiences various twists and turns, but rarely do the twists and turns of a few ankles loom so large over a single postseason game.
Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson both shook off ankle injuries to suit up Tuesday night for the Knicks, while Game 1 star Jimmy Butler was unable to go for the Heat.
The Knicks staged a frantic fourth-quarter comeback to avoid a daunting 0-2 hole, pulling out a gritty 111-105 win over the undermanned Heat at a super-charged Madison Square Garden.
The knotted second-round series will shift to Miami for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
Brunson started slowly after a self-proclaimed “horrific” Game 1 to score 23 of his 30 points in the second half, and Randle recorded 25 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists after sitting out the series-opening loss on Sunday.
RJ Barrett added 24 points, and heartbeat guard Josh Hart nearly recorded a triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Knicks, including two massive 3-pointers in the closing minutes.
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Without Butler, Caleb Martin scored 22 points and Gabe Vincent had 21 for the Heat. Max Strus added 17 before limping off with another ankle injury in the third quarter.
The Knicks trailed by six with 7:06 remaining in regulation, but Brunson sandwiched a corner-3 and a step-back jumper around an Isaiah Hartenstein free throw for a 93-93 tie midway through the quarter.
Hart’s corner-3 forged another tie with 4:45 left, and Brunson rattled one in from long range for a 99-96 lead 40 seconds later.
With the crowd chanting for “de-fense,” the Knicks forced the Heat into a 24-second shot clock violation, before Brunson dropped in a floater at the other end for a five-point lead.
After the Heat climbed back within one again, Hart drilled another trey from the right corner before Randle sank two free throws for a 106-100 game with 1:01 to play.
