Three Takeaways From Knicks Disappointing Loss to Heat

The New York Knicks fell 115-113 to the Miami Heat on Monday night, missing a chance to win without Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby in the lineup.

Karl-Anthony Towns Could Not Finish at the Rim

Karl-Anthony Towns played well for most of the game, scoring 22 points and grabbing 16 rebounds while making all seven of his free throws. He hit a big three-pointer with 22.4 seconds left that cut Miami's lead to just one point and gave the Knicks a chance to tie or win.​

But the final possession showed what went wrong. Towns got three chances at the rim to tie the game after grabbing offensive rebounds. He missed all three shots. The referees first called goaltending on Miami's Kel'el Ware, but after reviewing the play, they changed the call.

Towns got two more chances after that but could not make either shot. For a player trying to prove he can lead this team, missing three straight shots from close range in the final seconds is a major problem.​

The Bench Scored Far Too Few Points

Miami's bench players scored 43 points compared to just 28 for the Knicks. That 15-point gap was the difference in a game decided by two points.​

Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson each scored 14 points off the bench, but no other reserves made an impact. Meanwhile, Miles McBride scored 25 points and Mikal Bridges added 23, showing that the starters had to do too much work.

With Brunson and Anunoby out, the team does not have enough quality players coming off the bench. The starters played too many minutes and looked tired at the end of the game, which may explain why Towns missed those final shots.​

Turnovers and Poor Decisions Cost the Game

The Knicks won the rebounding battle 48-40, scored more points in the paint 64-56, and had more fast-break points 22-19. But they still lost because of bad decisions with the ball.​

New York turned the ball over 17 times, which led to 17 Miami points. In a game decided by two points, those turnovers made the difference. Josh Hart stepped out of bounds, Mitchell Robinson lost the ball, and Miles McBride made bad passes at key moments. These were not forced mistakes from good defense. They were simple errors that a winning team cannot make.​

Miami's role players took advantage. Norman Powell scored 19 points, Simone Fontecchio added 14, and the Heat made 40 percent of their three-point shots. The Knicks had every chance to win this game but made too many mistakes when it mattered most.​