Observations from the Miami Heat’s win over the Knicks to take 3-1 lead in the series

The Miami Heat defeated the New York Knicks, 109-101, to take a 3-1 lead in the series. They are one win away from returning to the Eastern Conference finals. Here’s what you need to know:

• Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Max Strus combined to score 66 of Miami’s 109 points.
• The Heat shot 43.3% from 3-point range through the first three quarters, but then went the entire fourth quarter without making a 3-pointer and still won.
• But the Heat had key advantages in the turnover battle (16-12) and out-rebounded the Knicks (54-42).
• The Knicks got 32 points from Jalen Brunson and 24 from R.J. Barrett, but Julius Randle fouled out with three minutes remaining and got little help from what was one of the top benches in the regular season.
• It’s been a while since Bam Adebayo looked this aggressive. Before tonight, Bam hadn’t scored more than 20 points since the Heat’s first playoff game, when he ruthlessly attacked Milwaukee’s drop defense and went 10 of 18 for 22 points. The Knicks don’t play the same defense as the Bucks. They drop, but not nearly as far into the paint. They switch a lot more than the Bucks, too. It’s taken Adebayo a little while to feel out New York’s defense, but something clicked Monday night.
• Credit to the Heat coaching staff for getting Adebayo open with a series of cross screens and double screens to create side-to-side actions and mismatches.

• Adebayo had 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting in the first half but scored just seven in the second half. Still, it was enough to set the table for Butler (seven of his 27 points in the fourth quarter) to close.
• Some huge defensive plays in this one. Gabe Vincent had a pair of deflections that led to four points in the first quarter and Strus got involved with a swipe and score in the second half, but the defensive play of the game goes to Butler for his momentum-stopping block on Quentin Grimes.

• OK, one more big-time defensive play. With three minutes left to play, Strus got in front of a Julius Randle drive to draw the foul — Randle’s sixth of the game. Randle fouled out with the Knicks down seven — still in striking distance — with 3:08 left to play.
• “Absolutely,” Strus said when I asked if he knew Randle had five fouls in that moment.
• Josh Hart fouled out shortly after.
• Can we talk about this dunk from Caleb Martin?!

• About a minute before this, Butler laid into Martin for miffing on a defensive assignment on a Brunson layup. He then connected with Martin for this dunk.
• The Heat’s bench outscored the Knicks bench 32-10. You know what’s crazy? The Knicks had the third-best bench in the regular season while the Heat second-unit ranked in the bottom 10. In this series, that’s been flipped with the Heat holding a meaningful advantage.
• Game 5 is 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.