Field Level Media
30 Mar 2023, 08:10 GMT+10
RJ Barrett hit the tiebreaking jumper with 7:14 left in the fourth quarter Wednesday night to begin a decisive game-ending run for the host New York Knicks, who solidified their playoff hopes and earned a key tiebreaker by pulling away from the Miami Heat for a 101-92 victory.
Immanuel Quickley scored a game-high 24 points off the bench while Quentin Grimes added 23 points for the Knicks (44-33), who are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
With the victory, New York won the season series between the teams 3-1 while extending its lead over the seventh-place Heat (40-37) to four games.
The top six teams in each conference earn a playoff berth while the seventh- through 10th-place clubs compete in a play-in tournament to determine the final two seeds.
Josh Hart had 13 points off the bench while Barrett and Jalen Brunson had 12 points each for the Knicks, who ended the game on a 17-8 run.
Julius Randle left with 2:35 left in the second quarter after spraining his left ankle while landing awkwardly on the Heat's Bam Adebayo.
Gabe Vincent scored 21 points for the Heat, who also fell 1 1/2 games behind the sixth-place Brooklyn Nets by virtue of the latter's 123-114 win over the Houston Rockets. Tyler Herro scored 16 points while Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson finished with 12 points apiece.
The teams combined for 12 lead changes and 12 ties in the middle two quarters and two more lead changes and two more ties in the first three-plus minutes of the fourth.
Quickley hit a technical free throw to tie the score at 84-84 after Cody Zeller was whistled for three seconds with 8:42 left. The teams combined to miss their next four shots before Barrett put the Knicks ahead for good.
Caleb Martin split a pair of free throws for the Heat before Hart and Grimes scored four points apiece in an 8-0 run for the Knicks, who led by as many as 11 down the stretch.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Orlando Echo news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Orlando Echo.
More InformationZERMATT, Switzerland: Five skiers were found dead on a mountain in Switzerland near the popular ski resort of Zermatt, officials said...
TORONTO, Canada - Tens of thousands of people from across Canada have marched in support of Israel in a massive turnout in Toronto....
BOSTON, Massachusetts: U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has taken away Harvard University's right to enroll international...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he believed God was behind his election loss in 2020, even though he has...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Passenger numbers at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey have dropped sharply, according to...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: European Union antitrust regulators are examining fees imposed by payment giants Visa and Mastercard, Bloomberg...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he believed God was behind his election loss in 2020, even though he has...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A Florida mother, Megan Garcia, is suing Google and AI startup Character.AI, claiming their chatbot played a role...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: U.S. drugmakers are charging significantly more for new treatments, particularly those targeting rare diseases,...
ORLANDO, Florida: For years, Universal Orlando played second fiddle to Disney's sprawling empire in Central Florida. Now, with the...
It is irresponsible to stoke fears of global conflict, Keith Kellogg says US presidential envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg has accused...
It is irresponsible to stoke fears of a global conflict, Keith Kellogg has said The US presidential envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg,...