What to expect in tonight’s showdown at “MSG South”.
It took everything the Knicks had to get past the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, as New York scratched and clawed its way to a 114-113 victory on the road.
Jalen Brunson gave the Knicks life down the stretch of the fourth quarter, so when he drove to the basket on the game’s deciding possession, naturally all of the Grizzlies’ defensive attention was on him.
They forgot about OG Anunoby. Brunson did not.
He kicked it out to Anunoby on the left wing, who calmly laced up a lead-taking three.
All net.
New York escaped with a win, and contributors were abundant. Brunson finished with 23 points, and was the leading scorer for a team that saw all of its starters hit the double digit mark. Deuce McBride hit five triples off the bench en route to 17 points, giving the Knicks a much needed offensive spark off of the bench.
A similar effort by the squad would be much appreciated tonight, as New York takes on the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center at 6:00 PM. While the Heat aren’t the same team they’ve been in past years, Miami is still a difficult place to play, and the Knicks need to take advantage of a winnable game on the schedule.
The Heat have been flirting with the .500 mark all year, and currently sit at 28-30. They’re only 3-6 since the Jimmy Butler drama ended, and their talent level is a far cry from the team that terrorized the Knicks in the 2023 playoffs.
Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo have been keeping the franchise afloat, but other than that, consistent production has been few and far between.
Tonight, their rotation is running thin. Nikola Jovic has been ruled out, and both Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Andrew Wiggins are considered doubtful to take the court tonight.
Meanwhile, there’s finally some good news on the Knicks’ injury front. Despite still being listed as probable on the injury report heading into tonight, Mitchell Robinson finally returned to the court on Friday. Our big man is back!
“I’m back baby”
–– Mitchell Robinson pic.twitter.com/K1Ly72nwjn
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 1, 2025
obinson’s defensive impact was immediately felt. He posted six points and five rebounds in his 12 minutes of action.
Meanwhile, Ariel Hukporti remains out for some time with a torn meniscus in his knee. Josh Hart is probable, and should be good to go for tonight.
Prediction
The Knicks are the more talented team here. They should win this game tonight. And I think they do.
Look out for a big KAT game tonight – when the two teams faced off back in October, Towns posted 44 points and 13 boards in a win. After a silent night from him this past Friday, I think he bounces back here in a big way.
Knicks win by 8-12.
Game Details
Date: Sunday, March 2nd, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM ET
Venue: Kaseya Center, Miami, FL
TV Broadcast: MSG
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky