Heat Find A Way In Overtime, Top Knicks 107-103
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MIAMI (AP) — Wayne Ellington scored 24 points, Goran Dragic added 19 and the Miami Heat survived a back-and-forth flurry in the final minutes to beat the New York Knicks 107-103 in overtime on Friday night.
Josh Richardson scored 18 and Tyler Johnson added 16 for Miami, which went 19 for 20 from the foul line — 13 for 13 after halftime. The Heat set a franchise record by taking 42 3-pointers, and Ellington had another team all-time mark by attempting 16.
Doug McDermott's 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime, and the Knicks led twice in the extra session. Miami finished the game on a 7-2 spurt, started by a 3 from Ellington with 2:22 remaining.
Courtney Lee scored 24 for New York, which got 20 from Michael Beasley and 15 from Kristaps Porzingis. The Knicks lost despite shooting 49 percent and holding the Heat to 40 percent.
The Knicks were down 10 early in the third, and then found their best gear.
A quick 7-0 burst got New York right back into it, and Miami's lead was only 75-71 going into the fourth. The final period started ominously for New York, which needed a timeout because it couldn't inbound the ball against Miami's pressure.
The next few minutes gave the Knicks no problems.
New York opened the fourth on a 9-0 run, capped by a layup from Beasley for a five-point lead. Beasley struck again midway through the fourth; off a missed free throw by Frank Ntilikina, he tipped the rebound in for an 86-80 edge that was the Knicks' biggest of the night.
Miami scored the next six, getting back-to-back 2-pointers from Ellington — a rarity for him, but they were needed.
That set up the back-and-forth in the final minutes of regulation, where the Knicks took the lead three times, Miami kept answering and McDermott sent it to overtime — where, after four more lead changes and two more ties, the Heat finished it off.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Tim Hardaway Jr., still out with a leg injury, warmly greeted several Heat broadcasters pregame. Tim Hardaway Sr. is one of three Heat players to have his Miami jersey retired, and his son is well-regarded by the franchise. ... The Knicks didn't make a 3-pointer until Porzingis connected about 3 minutes into the third quarter. They were 5 for 13 from deep.
Heat: Miami has won its last 10 January games. ... The three-game winning streak matches a season-best for Miami. ... Derrick Jones Jr. became the 239th player to get time in a Heat uniform, and the 238th to score. Matt Fish was scoreless in his only Heat appearance in 1997, though he did score for four other franchises in his career.
WAITERS WATCH
Heat guard Dion Waiters has sought a second opinion on his sprained left ankle — which could be an indicator that he may not wait until the offseason for surgery. Officially, his status hasn't changed. "He's still doing his rehab, he's doing his treatment," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Friday was the fifth game Waiters missed since aggravating the sprain, which has bothered him since March.
BEASLEY COMMENTS
Beasley was drafted No. 2 overall by the Heat in 2008, and has had three stints in Miami. He raised some eyebrows this week when telling the New York Post he thought Spoelstra could have believed in him more. Said Spoelstra, who remains fond of Beasley: "Jeez, Beas, you threw me under the bus, man." Beasley tried to defuse it pregame as well, saying, "I love Spo."
UP NEXT
Knicks: Visit Dallas on Sunday.
Heat: Host Utah on Sunday.
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