The New York Knicks have kept their post-season alive after an incredible 48-minute effort from stars Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes, the latter pulling off a gutsy steal at the death despite going down injured on the play.
The pair played every minute of the 112-103 win over the Miami Heat, who now lead the eastern conference semi-finals 3-2 despite the defeat.
Brunson had 38 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, while Grimes had 8 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
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Brunson’s performance was the latest to put the heat on the Dallas Mavericks, who let the guard go in a big free agency blunder, only to see him dominating at this year’s Playoffs.
Sports Illustrated’s Dalton Trigg described it as owner Mark Cuban’s “worst blunder … since letting Steve Nash walk in 2004.”
“You’ve got to give them credit, that’s a hard team to play,” Brunson told broadcaster TNT. “But we just came out to fight.
“We didn’t get discouraged with the 10-point deficit in the first quarter, we just kept fighting,” Brunson said.
Meanwhile, it was Grimes’ steal in the final two minutes of play that stole the show.
Grimes appeared to hurt his leg after contact on a screen, and tumbled to the ground in clear pain.
He got back up quickly, and hobbled back to defend – and somehow managed to get a steal from Jimmy Butler.
It proved a crucial shift in momentum in the final minutes, as the Knicks held on for a clutch victory.
RJ Barrett scored 26 points and Julius Randle added 24 for the Knicks, who will try to level the series in Miami on Friday.
The winner of the series will face either the Philadelphia 76ers or Boston Celtics for a place in the NBA Finals. The 76ers lead their series 3-2.
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It was close in the early going, but after Quentin Grimes’s three-pointer put the Knicks up 10-8 midway through the first quarter the Heat closed the period on a 16-4 run to lead 24-14
.
The Knicks hit back, opening the second period on a 10-2 run. But after making their first seven shot attempts in the period they missed their next seven as the teams traded the lead.
With less than a minute remaining before halftime, Miami star Jimmy Butler soared to block Brunson’s lay-up, then raced down the floor. His layup missed, but Bam Adebayo grabbed the rebound and slammed home a dunk that put Miami up 47-46.
Randle tied it with a free throw, and with 1.3 seconds remaining drained a step-back three-pointer that sent the Knicks into the break with a 50-47 lead.
The Knicks kept the pressure on in the third, pushing the lead to 19 with 5:55 left in the period.
Miami cut that to 10 going into the fourth, and Butler’s pull-up basket, followed by his free throw on the Heat’s next possession, had Miami just two down with 2:37 left.
New York’s Isaiah Hartenstein answered with a dunk and with the Knicks up by six Knicks guard Grimes — hobbling after a fall — came up with a steal from Butler and the Knicks held on.
Butler led the Heat with 19 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. Adebayo added 18 points and Duncan Robinson scored 17 off the bench for Miami, who are trying to become just the second eighth-seeded team — after the 1999 Knicks — to reach the conference finals.
