GAME PREVIEW: Miami Heat aim to steal a win inside Madison Square Garden

Mar 29, 2023 - 3:42 PM

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Game Story:

The 40-36 Miami Heat are headed for yet another critical matchup on the road against the 43-33 New York Knicks inside MSG. Miami is currently 3 games behind New York for the 5th seed, and if there’s any sort of slim chance of snagging that 5th spot before the season ends, this is a game that the Heat have to win to make that possible. A win will pull them to within 2 games and help in regards to getting control of the 6th seed again and avoiding the play-in. The Heat are coming off two straight double digit losses as the Knicks are coming off a dominant double digit win against the Houston Rockets.

Prior to playing arguably one of the worst teams in the NBA in the Rockets, New York was on a bit of a skid. They lost to the Heat in South Beach last week, and followed up that performance with another loss in Orlando against the Magic. As much of an important game this is for both teams, there are lots of question marks in terms of player availability. The Knicks have listed star player Jalen Brunson as questionable with a right hand sprain. If he is unable to suit up, Immanuel Quickley will step up into that Knicks starting unit.

For Miami, their official injury report has not yet been submitted. Jimmy Butler sat out last game due to some neck stiffness, but it is hard to believe it will keep him out of this game as well. It was already announced yesterday that Kyle Lowry will not be available, as doctors have not cleared him for back-to-backs just yet from his lingering knee injury. Gabe Vincent even wound up on the report at the last minute yesterday, so his status could be questionable too.

The Heat need to try to replicate that winning formula they used to take down this same Knicks team just last week. They need to get Julius Randle out of him comfort zone and not allow him to take over the game offensively. Most importantly though, the Heat need help from their supporting cast. Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo were the only Heat players that scored in double digits last night in Toronto, and that is never going to get the job done.

It will be interesting to see if Miami can get out of this short losing streak and pick up another statement win. Each and every game counts at the highest magnitude at this point in the season, and this team cannot afford to lose 3 straight down the stretch of their remaining regular season schedule.

Injury Report:

Heat

• NOT YET SUBMITTED.

Knicks

• Jalen Brunson, questionable
• Derrick Rose, questionable
• DaQuan Jeffries, out
• Duane Washington Jr., out

Probable Starters:

Heat

• Jimmy Butler
• Kevin Love
• Bam Adebayo
• Tyler Herro
• Gabe Vincent

Knicks

• RJ Barrett
• Julius Randle
• Mitchell Robinson
• Jalen Brunson
• Quentin Grimes

ODDS (via FanDuel)

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Broadcast Info:

Tipoff: 7:30 PM EST

TV: Bally Sports Sun (Eric Reid, John Crotty)

Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)

Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)

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