Another game goes by where the Heat were able to absolutely dismantle their opponent by the end of the game, and the New York Knicks got entirely stagnant on their home court.
Game two will tip off on Tuesday night, and the Knicks will look to try and even the series and to try and improve their offense in the closing minutes.
The only positive from the Knicks’ side was that Jimmy Butler appeared to hurt his ankle in a real way at around the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
For the rest of the game, he was nothing more than a decoy, but with some treatment on their rest day, he may be able to suit up for game two as well.
It’s entirely possible that he rests this game, and they bank on taking control of the series on their home court since they already stole the game they needed.
Ahead of the tip off on Tuesday, the Knicks are favored over the Heat at -6.5.
Can the Heat survive without Jimmy Butler?
Whether or not Butler is going to play in game two, the Heat are going to have to figure out where they can get some consistent scoring from places other than Butler.
Kyle Lowry and Gabe Vincent stepped up in a way that wasn’t expected from their performance all season, but more of this is going to be imperative moving forward.
Not only that, but Bam Adebayo has a chance to really take over offensively in a big way as a distributor and from the free-throw line extended.
However, game two plays itself out, the Heat were able to get the game they wanted and steal home court for the time being.
Where can the Knicks learn to be not so one-track minded?
For most of the season, the Knicks have been able to rely on Jalen Brunson in every situation, and his offense in clutch moments of the game has been unstoppable.
The Heat were able to form the wall and take away Brunson for much of the fourth, but it left the Knicks with a burning question about who would be able to take his place.
RJ Barrett had a huge first three quarters, but the fourth quarter saw him miss a number of free throws and turnover the ball over more than a few times.
They will have their home crowd behind them, and they will need every ounce of energy they can get to stay alive.
Heat @ Knicks Betting Prediction
In a series of playoffs that have been full of surprises, the Knicks are going to have to stick to the norm in this game so they don’t end up going down 0-2.
If that happens, the Heat will smell the fear on the court and strike where they least attempt it.
For as large as the spread is, there is no reason not to take the Knicks on their home court to bounce back in game two over the Heat at -6.5.
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