MIAMI — The game was fumbling away. The winning streak was about to end.
Then Julius Randle came to the rescue.
The Knicks All-Star connected on an improbable and acrobatic game-winning 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left in Friday’s 122-120 victory over the Heat, capping a thrilling game and exquisite performance.
Randle finished with 43 points, including six in the final minute. As great as he’s been at different points over the last three seasons, Friday represented the best single shot of Randle’s Knicks career.
But the play started as a disaster. Randle had committed a turnover on the previous possession, leading to Tyler Herro hitting the go-ahead layup for the Heat with under 30 seconds left. Since Tom Thibodeau had earlier unsuccessfully challenged a play, the Knicks had no timeouts to set up the game winner.
So the ball was nearly turned over twice before Randle found enough space to rise for the winner. He shot 16 for 25 with eight 3-pointers and nine rebounds.
The Knicks (38-27), seeded fifth, won their eighth straight and moved 4 1/2 games above the No. 7 Heat.
New York controlled Friday’s game early while building a 17-point lead in the first half.
It was peak embarrassment for the Heat in the second quarter, when Josh Hart converted an explosive and-1 layup and the Miami crowd erupted — really erupted — in a ‘Let’s Go Knicks’ chant. Oftentimes the home crowd drowns out such joy from the visitors. But not Friday. At least not in the first half.
The story flipped in the third quarter when the Heat got going and the fans seemed to change allegiances. Jimmy Butler paced the comeback and finished with 33 points in 33 minutes.
The Heat leaned into the old Knicks rivalry by playing an intro on Jumbotron with flashbacks to the 90s contests. There’s a renewed sense of significance attached to the matchup because of their respective spots in the standings.
Still, Thibodeau pushed back at the media for suggesting players were extra motivated against Miami.
“I know your job is to create stories. I think our job is to stay focused,” the Knicks coach said. “I think it’s part of the league, it’s great for the league. There are a ton of great stories. Your jobs are easy. But for us, we got to lock in and take what’s in front of us.”
Miami has struggled while coping with injuries and age. Coming off the conference’s top record last season, it entered Friday’s contest as losers of five of its last six games.
Kyle Lowry was out again for Miami with knee soreness, continuing his calamitous season. Jimmy Butler was listed as questionable before the game but predictably played, providing the home team with its best punch.
Erik Spoelstra was intense and unusually short in his pregame comments, darting away from the podium after the second question — which was about the Knicks’ improvement.
“Josh Hart has been a good addition. Their health. That game we played in New York, Brunson didn’t play. So they’ve built some continuity. And their offense has really been clicking the last three or four weeks.”
A potentially devastating development arrived in the third quarter. Jalen Brunson, the catalyst to New York’s surprisingly strong season, came up limping after contesting a dunk attempt from Jimmy Butler.
Brunson hobbled back under the rim to try to draw a charge on Butler on the follow-up, but he was in obvious pain and quickly left for the locker room. Luckily for Knicks, who’ve somehow avoided major injuries to their top players other than Robinson, Brunson returned ready to play in the fourth quarter with his ankle taped.
He finished with 25 points.
