Heat 104, Knicks 94
MIAMI — No blowout this time by the Miami Heat, just Big Three efficiency.
With Dwyane Wade scoring 25 points, Chris Bosh 21 and LeBron James 19, the Heat were able to overcome 30 points from Carmelo Anthony in a 104-94 victory over the New York Knicks Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The victory gave the Heat a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series that continues with Thursday’s 7 p.m. Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.
While Anthony was supported by 18 points from power forward Amare Stoudemire and 13 from center Tyson Chandler, the Knicks came up short after the Heat moved to a 13-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
Ultimately, as Anthony tired, the Heat’s supporting cast proved to be too much, with Heat power forward Udonis Haslem adding eight rebounds and Heat point guard Mario Chalmers six assists.
With Anthony limited to three third-period points and James scoring eight in the period, the Heat went into the fourth quarter up 78-69.
With James scoring on consecutive transition opportunities, the Heat pushed to an 11-point lead midway through the third quarter, their first double-digit edge of the night.
New York quickly trimmed the deficit with a 3-point play by Chandler and a 3-pointer from point guard Baron Davis.
The Knicks’ run came with Stoudemire beginning to emerge as an offensive factor.
The Knicks also were able to stay close at that juncture with the Heat opening 12 of 19 from the line, including James opening 1 of 4.
With each of the Heat’s Big Three reaching double figures in scoring by halftime, the Heat took a 53-47 lead into the intermission, despite 21 first-half points from Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony.
Wade led the Heat with 19 first-half points, with James and Bosh each scoring 11 in the first half.
Anthony, limited to 11 points in the series opener, had 15 in the first quarter alone this time.
Offensive rebounding kept the Knicks afloat early, with a 10-2 edge at halftime.
The Heat used a 9-0 run to move to an early 11-6 lead, but with Anthony scoring his 15 in the first quarter, the Knicks were able to close within 27-24 going into the second period.
Wade, no longer having to face Knicks defensive pest Iman Shumpert, who is out with a knee injury, paced the Heat with 11 points in the opening period.
Anthony shot 6 of 11 from the field in the opening period, making his final four shots of the quarter after missing his previous five. His scoring pace picked up once Shane Battier took over the initial defensive assignment from James.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra utilized 10 players in the opening period, with the Heat outscoring the Knicks 16-4 in the paint in the first period.
NOTES: The Knicks continue to hint that Jeremy Lin might beat his post-surgery timetable by two weeks and make it back from his knee issue for part of this series. “He shot today and went through some halfcourt sets we had put in,” coach Mike Woodson said of Monday’s shootaround . . . Woodson said he expects to see an even stronger Tyson Chandler as the series progresses and the Knicks center moves past his weekend stomach virus. “It’s going to take a game or two to get him back, but he’s better,” Woodson said . . . Woodson, on point guard Baron Davis’ back issues, “I’ll watch him carefully. . . . We got to watch closely.” . . . Spoelstra continues to bristle at his team somehow being considered too Hollywood. “This is a lunch-pail and a hard-hat team, and I think the perception of us is lost in translation,” he said . . . Shumpert, out with his knee injury, was wheeled into the arena, but did not watch from the bench, to make sure he was not run into by a player amid game action . . . Wade called the series “like the good, old days,” of going against former Marquette teammate Steve Novak, the Knicks’ 3-point shooting forward . . . Chandler was called for a second-period technical foul after glowering following a putback dunk.
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