The Miami Heat took a 2-1 series lead against the New York Knicks following a 105-86 win Saturday afternoon. It was the return of Jimmy Butler, who missed Game 2 with a right ankle sprain, and he immediately made his presence known with 28 points, four rebounds and three assists. His intensity on the defensive side of the ball also helped contain a Knicks team that struggled to find any sort of offensive consistency. The Heat had four players score in double figures, including 14 points off the bench for Kyle Lowry, and 19 points from Max Strus.
For the Knicks, it was an abysmal shooting performance, as the team shot just 34.1% from the field and 20% from deep. Jalen Brunson finished with 20 points on an inefficient 7-of-20 from the field and 0-of-5 from deep. Julius Randle also struggled mightily, going 4-of-15 from the field, as he finished with just 10 points.
The Heat will look to extend their series lead in Game 4 on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Here are three takeaways from Miami's Game 3 victory.
1. Jimmy Butler's return
The Heat put up a spirited effort in their Game 2 loss against the Knicks, but it was obvious they missed the presence of Butler. Not just because of his scoring, but because of his playmaking, intensity, defense and all the little things he does that make this team go. Well, all of those things that Butler brings to the table were on full display Saturday afternoon, and he showed no signs of restrictions from the right ankle sprain through the first half of the game.
He got going early, scoring 18 of his 28 points in the first half, and from the start of the game you could tell how much his presence transforms this Miami team. The intensity he brings on defense, which resulted in several Knicks turnovers and even two blocks, trickles down to how everyone else on the Heat play. Because of that infectious effort that Butler has, the Heat forced the Knicks into nine first-half turnovers, including six in the second quarter. Butler's presence also opens up so much more for the Heat on offense, allowing guys like Strus to get better looks, and the opportunities Bam Adebayo was getting in Game 3 were primarily due to the defensive attention Butler commands when he's driving to the rim.
Then there's the fact that Butler has shown time and time again how clutch he can be when needed. When the Knicks went on an 8-0 run with five minutes left in the fourth quarter to cut Miami's lead down to 14 points, Butler came down and hit this tough jumper to stop the run:
The icing on the cake came as Butler jogged back on defense and you could see him saying, "He can't guard me" while pointing at Josh Hart. Talk about making a statement in your return after missing Game 2.
2. An abysmal shooting performance from the Knicks
It's not surprising that the Knicks struggled so much shooting the ball today given they don't have a ton of elite shooters on this team. That issue only gets exacerbated when Brunson, Randle and RJ Barrett go a combined 16-of-51 from the field. New York isn't going to win games when all three of them are struggling to find their shot, and that's exactly what happened Saturday afternoon. Brunson and Randle went a combined 0-of-10 from 3-point range, and while Barrett connected on two triples, he was a non-factor for much of the game.
Randle, though, had a particularly bad game. He connected on as many field goals as he had turnovers (4) and took some low-quality shots over the course of the game. If he's going to struggle to score, he has to find other ways to impact the game, primarily with his passing, instead of forcing up bad shots.
Aside from those three, the Knicks also got dominated on points in the paint, getting outscored 50-36. For a team that ranked 10th in the league during the regular season in paint scoring, that's a pretty shocking disparity, and an issue the Knicks will need to reverse for Game 4.
3. Potential worrisome injuries for Knicks
As we look ahead to Game 4, there could be two potential injuries we'll have to keep an eye on for the Knicks. In the fourth quarter, Immanuel Quickley got tangled up with Adebayo while they were both diving for a loose ball, and after laying on the ground in pain for a while, Quickley gingerly walked back to the locker room. Knicks head coach said after the game that Quickley has a sprained ankle, but the team will know more tomorrow about the severity of his injury. The other injury is to Brunson, who Thibodeau said "tweaked" his ankle during Game 3. Late in the game, Brunson could be seen limping around, but it didn't stop him from playing 37 minutes. He's been dealing with an ankle injury throughout the playoffs, but if it has flared up again that'll be an issue for the Knicks going forward.
Quickley's injury seems a bit more serious as Thibodeau gave a specific designation for it, and if he is unable to play in Game 4 that'll make New York's already limited second unit that much weaker. Quickley put up 12 points for the Knicks, and he's a vital piece to the Knicks' bench unit.