Game preview for the Miami Heat vs the New York Knicks.
Heat (9-5) @ Knicks (8-8)
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
When: Friday, Nov. 27, 7:30 PM ET
Watch: Fox Sports Sun/League Pass
The Miami Heat, coming off their least impressive game of the season, will look to bounce back tonight against the New York Knicks. The two teams met earlier this week, with the Heat defeating the Knicks 95-78. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh led the Heat with 16 points a piece.
The Knicks since then dropped their game against the Orlando Magic and have fallen back to .500 for the season. The Knicks two-game skid has dropped the team to the 10th place in the NBA Eastern Conference. They trail the Detroit Pistons by half a game for the 8th seed.
The Miami Heat come into this game as the fourth seed, even with the Indiana Pacers for the 3rd seed, but losing the tie breaker because of their 0-1 record against the Pacers.
Matchup to Watch: Carmelo Anthony vs Gerald Green
With Luol Deng sitting out his second straight game, the Knicks gain a significant advantage at the small forward position, at least to start the game. The drop off from Deng’s defense to Gerald Green’s defense is huge.
If Carmelo gets off to a hot start, you can expect Spolestra to either jump Justise Winslow into the game or have Dwyane Wade guard Melo for stretches.
Even if Melo gets off to a fast start, the Heat will need Green’s 3-point shooting to be on for this game. He has a better ability to stretch defenses out than Deng does.
X-Factor: Chris Bosh
In Wednesday’s game preview, the improvement the team’s offense needs to see from Goran Dragic was pointed out. Today, its time to discuss the improvement the team needs from it’s starting power forward, Chris Bosh.
Over the last three games, Bosh is shooting just 8 for his last 32. He has shot 4-for-11 from the 3-point arc and 18-for-22 from the free throw line. His midrage game has not played well of late and it’s was ever so evident in the Heat’s lowest offensive output of the season.
Before the season, Bosh talked about wanting to be more consistent this season. That has not been the case so far. Bosh is averaging 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He’s shooting 42 percent from the field and has a true shooting percentage of 55.6 for the season, which is down from 59.7 percent from two seasons ago.
Injury Update: Luol Deng is again doubtful for tonight’s game with a hamstring injury. Gerald Green is expected to start for the second consecutive game, in Deng’s place.
Key Stats:
Miami Heat offensive efficiency: 15th, 101.2 points per 100 possessions
Miami Heat defensive efficiency: 2nd, 95.4 points per 100 possessions
New York Knicks offensive efficiency: 20th, 100.1 points allowed per 100 possessions
New York Knicks defensive efficiency: 17th, 101.4 points allowed per 100 possessions