NEW YORK, NY (SNN-TV) – With a chance to head back to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat were on the road at Madison Square Garden, taking on the Knicks who were in a win-or-go home scenario.
Jalen Brunson had 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while playing all 48 minutes in a season-extending performance, and the Knicks beat the Heat 112-103 tonight in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Knicks denied the Heat’s first attempt to become just the second No. 8 seed to reach the conference finals and sent the series back to Miami for Game 6 on Friday night. RJ Barrett added 26 points and Julius Randle had 24 for the fifth-seeded Knicks, who stayed alive in hopes of reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2000.
For the Heat, Jimmy Butler had 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, getting held below 25 points for the first time in this postseason. Bam Adebayo added 18 points and Duncan Robinson had 17.
