Entering Friday night’s clash against the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat were in tremendous form. Backed by Jimmy Butler’s incredible performances, the South Florida side won nine out of their last 10 matchups. Leading by as much as 21 points, the Heat were almost certain that they had clinched their 11th win of the season. However, a heroic fight was put on by Jalen Brunson and Co., allowing them to stun the defending Eastern Conference Champs.
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The All-Star duo of Butler and Bam Adebayo played some incredible basketball, combining for 44 points and 15 made field goals. However, it was Brunson who spoiled their party. Dropping 24 points on 62.5% FG, the point guard led the New York Knicks to a 100-98 victory.
During the postgame interview, Brunson was asked to reveal the source of motivation that allowed him to pull off their largest comeback of the season. Being extremely candid, the 6ft 2” star disclosed that a fan heckled him at one point in the contest. With the intention of proving the heckler wrong, the 27-year-old led the Knicks to an impressive win.
“I mean, we just stuck together. Honestly, a fan looked at me in my eye over here and said ‘this is embarrassing,’ so I’ll say him,” Brunson revealed.
Jimmy Butler comments after missing a game-winning 3 against Jalen Brunson and Co.
With the virtue of Jalen Brunson missing a clutch free throw, the Miami Heat had a chance to tie the contest with a two-point field goal. Instead of taking the game to overtime, Jimmy Butler decided that it would be best if he attempted a three-point field goal instead.
With almost six seconds remaining on the game clock, Josh Richardson passed it to Jimmy Buckets on the corner. Despite RJ Barrett playing some incredible defense, the Heat star attempted a tough-contested three-point shot. Unfortunately for him, the shot didn’t fall in.
After the contest, Butler revealed why he went for the win and was not looking for the tie. Further, the 6ft 7” forward promised to knock down the “next one”.
“Thought that one was going in. I’m always going to go for the win… I guarantee I’m making the next one.”
Winning their fourth contest out of their last five matchups, the New York Knicks now hold on to a solid 9-6 record. Compared to a week ago, the team has jumped up in the standings and is merely one game behind the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The guard-forward tandem of Brunson and Randle has been performing extremely well. Together, the duo average slightly more than 43 points per game. With the way the other role players have been contributing, it won’t be surprising to see Tom Thibodeau’s boys finish as a top 4 seed in the East.
