Knicks Vs. Heat: Miami Clamps Down On Jeremy Lin In 102-88 Win

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Knicks Vs. Heat Final Score: Miami Wins Comfortably, Jeremy Lin Meets His Match

Linsanity has been calmed, at least until after the All-Star break. Perhaps everyone should have seen it coming, but Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks struggled on Thursday night against a team that played at a higher level from whistle to whistle. The Miami Heat played great team defense while the big three scored very efficiently in a 102-88 victory.

The Heat have won eight straight games, their best streak of the season, and they have the best record in the NBA. Miami forced Lin to turn the ball over eight times and forced the Knicks to turn the ball over 19 times, grabbing 12 steals in a fantastic defensive performance. They also blocked 10 shots, with five of those blocks coming from Joel Anthony.

Amare Stoudemire helped to carry the Knicks in the first half, but just two of his 13 points came in the second half. Carmelo Anthony struggled shooting the ball, dropping 19 points on 7-20 shooting. Lin scored just eight points on 1-11 shooting, with six of his points coming from the free throw line.

Chris Bosh led all scorers with 25 points, but there wasn't much separation between the big three. Dwyane Wade scored 22 points and LeBron James scored 20. James also had nine rebounds, eight assists, five steals and two blocks in a fantastic complete performance.

For more on the two teams, check out New York Knicks blog Posting And Toasting and Miami Heat blog Peninsula Is Mightier.

Knicks Vs. Heat Score: Miami Extends Lead In Third Quarter

The Miami Heat were able to extend their lead on the New York Knicks in the third quarter, and the Knicks are just barely in the game. The big three all came up big in the third quarter while the Knicks turned the ball over three more times and continued to struggle shooting the ball. With one quarter to go, the Heat lead 80-66.

Miami outscored New York 29-19 in the third quarter and it felt even worse than that. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James now have a combined 53 points on the night, with nearly half of those accrued in the third quarter. Jeremy Lin did well to get to the free throw line on a couple off occasions in the third, but still has just eight points, four rebounds and three assists to go with his seven turnovers.

For more on the two teams, check out New York Knicks blog Posting And Toasting and Miami Heat blog Peninsula Is Mightier.

Knicks Vs. Heat Halftime Score: Jeremy Lin Struggling But New York Only Down Four

Jeremy Lin might finally be in a bit over his head. For once, he looks very much off the pace and he's struggling mightily. The good news for the New York Knicks is that they're getting second-chance points off of offensive rebounds, while Steve Novak can't miss from outside. The Miami Heat are pushing the pace in transition and playing great defense, but only lead 51-47 at halftime.

Amar'e Stoudemire and Lin have six turnovers each, though Stoudemire's redeemed himself with three rebounds and 11 points. Lin has just two points and two assists, and those assists came on the first two Knicks buckets. Though it would be easy to blame the Knicks' struggles so far on Lin, Carmelo Anthony was just as big of a problem until the very end of the quarter. He's only 3-10 from the floor, and was 1-8 until the dying seconds. He hit two jumpers in the last minute, including a buzzer-beater at the end of the second quarter.

Even though the Knicks are struggling offensively outside of Stoudemire and Novak, they're only down by four points. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James have missed some close-range shots and haven't made the most of the 15 turnovers that the Heat have forced.

With the shot clock running down in the last minute of the second quarter, Mario Chalmers drained a three with just under eight seconds remaining. Anthony's answer should give the Knicks some confidence in his shooting and themselves going into the locker room.

For more on the two teams, check out New York Knicks blog Posting And Toasting and Miami Heat blog Peninsula Is Mightier.

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Knicks Vs. Heat: Miami Leads After Fast-Paced First Quarter

The New York Knicks and Miami Heat got off to an incredibly fast-paced start on Thursday night, with the Heat jumping out to a 10-4 lead in the opening minutes thanks to some transition buckets, but the first quarter ended with a reasonable score despite the frenetic pace. With fast basketball often comes mistakes, and there were plenty for both teams in the first quarter. Miami leads 24-20, and the teams have already combined for 14 turnovers.

Jeremy Lin has been forced into three of those turnovers, but Amar'e Stoudemire has been even worse at holding onto the ball, couching the ball up four times in the opening 12 minutes. Lin also had an impressive driving layup to his left and two early assists.

LeBron James is off to a big start with six points, three assists, four steals and two rebounds. Along with Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers, James and the Heat have pushed the ball in transition, but they haven't converted as much as they would like. Wade already has a missed dunk and a charge to his name.

For more on the two teams, check out New York Knicks blog Posting And Toasting and Miami Heat blog Peninsula Is Mightier.

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Knicks Vs. Heat: Odds Favor Miami By Double-Digits At Home

The eyes of the NBA world will be on the court of the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Fla., on Thursday night when Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks head south to take on LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

The Heat will close out a three-game homestand before the All-Star break and have won seven in a row, including a 120-108 triumph over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. Dwyane Wade led six players in double digits for the Heat with 30 points and dished out 10 assists, while Chris Bosh tallied 20 points and 10 boards. Mario Chalmers also added 20 points in the win for Miami, winners of eight in row at home and owners of a 14-2 home mark.

According to SBNation odds partner OddsShark, the Heat are favored by 10 points over the Knicks with a line of -110.

New York bounced back into the win column with Wednesday night's 99-82 home win over the Atlanta Hawks and had dropped two of three games after a season-best seven-game winning streak.

For more on the two teams, check out New York Knicks blog Posting And Toasting and Miami Heat blog Peninsula Is Mightier.

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