The New York Knicks needed to win Game 2 against the Heat after dropping the opener and came through, thanks in large part to these three stars.
The New York Knicks bounced back in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat with a 111-105 win on Tuesday night. They went on a 21-4 run late in the second half to even the series at 1-1, albeit doing so against a Miami team playing without Jimmy Butler due to injury.
After playing poorly in the first half, the Knicks were able to fight back against the win. The first half saw New York struggle mightily offensively while the Heat were getting wide-open looks from 3-point range.
Coming out of the break, though, Jalen Brunson took control of the game while Josh Hart came through in the clutch in the fourth quarter. Now the series heads back to South Florida, but first, let’s check on the stars who led the Knicks to a crucial win in Game 2.
New York Knicks: 3 stars who led the Knicks to Game 2 win over Heat
3. Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunson shined in the second half of this one. In a game where he struggled in the first half, he ended up going off in the third quarter. He ended up with 13 points in the third quarter. For the game overall, he ended up with 30 points on 52 percent shooting from the floor.
He made six 3s in his effort on 10 attempts while he and Hart combined for 20 of the team’s 35 points in the final quarter. Speaking of, Hart is an honorable mention for this list for coming up big in the fourth quarter.
2. Julius Randle
For the first half of this game, Julius Randle, returning to the floor after missing Game 1 with an ankle injury, was one of the only two offensive options that the Knicks could rely on. Randle was able to get buckets for a team that was struggling to score, which ultimately kept them within striking distance to go on a run in the second half.
He ended up with 25 points on 44 percent shooting. Additionally, he made three 3s.
1. RJ Barrett
RJ Barrett was the only other option that was cooking for the Knicks in the first half. Barrett started the game making 3s and was the only source of offense for the Knicks for the opening minutes. He ended up with 24 points on 47 percent shooting from the floor. Addtionally, he ended up making five 3s in this game.
It looked early like the Heat would take advantage of a poor offensive showing and take a 2-0 series lead, but Barrett and Randle kept the ship afloat in the first half while Brunson and Hart went off in the second half to make this series even. The series would have been over if key Knicks players didn’t step up offensively. Luckily for the Knicks, they were able to.