Jalen Brunson lifts Knicks to Game 5 win over Heat: How Miami let the series go on
The New York Knicks defeated the Miami Heat 112-103 in Game 5 on Wednesday, avoiding elimination and bringing the Eastern Conference semifinal series to 3-2. Here’s what you need to know:
- Knicks guard Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 38 points, adding nine rebounds and seven assists.
- Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 19 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals.
- New York shot 49.3 percent from the field. Miami shot 42 percent, including 30.2 percent from 3-point range
- Game 6 is Friday in Miami.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
How did the Heat lose this?
They had a 24-14 lead after the first quarter and it looked like things were humming again for Miami. But Obi Toppin sparked the Knicks in the second and the Knicks jetted away. Miami just wasn’t able to match the Knicks’ energy during the second quarter and for about half of the third.
By the time they recovered they were playing comeback the rest of the way. They got into too big a hole and just couldn’t recover. — Vorkunov
What went wrong for Miami?
Well, a few things. Their 3-point shooting disappeared for large swaths of the game. They finished just 13-of-43 but that was deceiving because of the dry patch they hit in the middle of the game.
And after outworking the Knicks on the offensive boards in the last few games and for the first quarter tonight, the Knicks recovered and were able to get their mojo back, muscling back into the game. Oh, and the Heat didn’t have an answer for Jalen Brunson. That mattered, too. — Vorkunov
Highlight of the game
Key stat
Brunson, whose 38 points were the second-most he’s scored in his playoff career, and Quentin Grimes both played a full 48 minutes for the Knicks.
Required reading
(Photo: David Dow / NBAE via Getty Images)
