Heat collective counter Jalen Brunson (37 points)

What if Miami is one of the nice early season surprises in the East? Narrowly defeated in Orlando, Erik Spoelstra’s men have since responded with a blowout in Memphis, followed by their first home success last night against the high-flying Knicks. With their determination and aggressiveness, the Floridians reminded us that they have both the team depth and enough talent to make a difference.

New York therefore paid the price, not without a fight, after trailing by 18 points to finally get back to within two possessions in “money time” thanks to repeated exploits by Jalen Brunson (37 points) and his close guard Bridges-Anunoby-Towns. Because Miami did not explode, also with valuable relays at the end of the match to follow Norman Powell and his 29 points.

The Knicks took an 8-2 lead at the end of the first quarter (24-27) before withstanding a home revolt for the first time this season. It was a noticeable 11-1 run with 3-pointers by Simone Fontecchio, Drew Smith and Bam Adebayo (35-31), which allowed Miami to run into the lead at the break (57-54).

Just before the break, New York regained the momentum though, with OG Anunoby’s counter on Bam Adebayo giving up two points to Mikal Bridges in transition. Mike Brown’s troops continued the match with this dynamic, managing to regain the lead after Mikal Bridges and Jaylen Brunson’s triples (63-64).

Enough to shake the pride of the Heat, who fought back at the end of the third quarter, with Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (88-81), then with 17-6 to start the last action, a series marked by three-pointers from Simone Fontecchio and Norman Powell, but also an authoritarian dunk by Jockey Nicola on a goal by J Jaimr. (105-87).

The match is not over, however, because New York has its own pride. Jalen Brunson and KAT then made two 3-point baskets each, and the Knicks quickly got back to -5 after KAT intercepted Brunson’s layup (110-105). Under pressure, Andrew Wiggins excelled with a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer that unloaded the Kasey center. Bam Adebayo capped off the night with a final dunk to allow the Heat to stay the course until the end and win 115-107.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– The first at home for Miami. And not against anyone! The Heat confirmed what we saw in the first two games, which is a coherent and competitive team, despite the absence of Tyler Hero. Behind Norman Powell and Bam Adebayo, the batsmen are numerous and put their hearts into the work. Eight players finished with 6 points or more and this will be one of Miami’s strengths this season. Danger can come from anywhere!

– Duel Brunson-Mitchell. We expected the shock to spark, and it did! Jalen Brunson was impressive in his second half, assuming leadership status to bring his team back from hell. Obviously, Davion Mitchell suffered a lot up front, but he also contributed to the Heat controlling the end of the game. We’ll remember his calm 3-pointer, then his decisive pass to Bam Adebayo after being caught for two. He also served Andrew Wiggins for the basket of the match… Jalen Brunson finished with 37 points, but Davion Mitchell will take comfort in the victory.

– Gershon Yabusele (and Jordan Clarkson) are still training. We had trouble recognizing two of the three games. Is it the pressure of wearing the colors of this legendary franchise or is it simply a matter of time for adaptation? The impression that the Frenchman is playing under pressure (2 points on 1/6 shooting, 6 rebounds in 16 minutes), light years away from the freshness he exuded in his debut in Philadelphia, even if the context was much more favorable to him. Jordan Clarkson wasn’t transcendent either, who was the worst copy since the restart in terms of skill, shooting 2/11 (8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists).

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