NEW YORK (AP) — Mikal Bridges scored 28 points, Josh Hart tied a franchise record with his eighth triple-double this season and the New York Knicks beat Miami 116-95 on Monday night, sending the Heat to their first eight-game losing streak of coach Erik Spoelstra's career.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points for the Knicks, who fell behind 12-0, then completely turned around the game after Towns scored 15 straight in the second quarter. New York won the season series 3-0 for its first sweep of Miami since 1992-93.
New York led by six midway though the third quarter when the game was delayed for the court to be cleaned after actor and comedian Tracy Morgan vomited while sitting courtside. The Knicks outscored the Heat 24-6 after the delay to lead 88-64 heading into the fourth.
Duncan Robinson scored 22 points for the Heat (29-39), who lost a game they led by double digits for the 18th time this season. The eight-game skid is their longest since March 2008, the last season under Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley before Spoelstra took over.
Takeaways
Heat: Miami has blown leads against everybody but specialized in that against the Knicks this season. The Heat led by at least 13 in all three losses.
Knicks: New York predicably looked low on energy early after finishing a five-game West Coast trip late Saturday night. But Towns, Bridges and Hart were more than enough to revive a team playing without injured All-Star Jalen Brunson.
Key moment
Miami led 31-18 after getting the first basket of the second quarter. Towns then scored the next 15 points, including three 3-pointers and a pair of dunks, to give the Knicks their first lead at 33-31.
Key stat
Hart had 12 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists to tie Hall of Fame guard Walt Frazier's total of eight triple-doubles in 1968-69. Hart has 14 triple-doubles with the Knicks, which ranks fourth in franchise history.
Up next
The Heat host Detroit on Wednesday to start a five-game homestand that will include Jimmy Butler's return to Miami on March 25. The Knicks visit San Antonio on Wednesday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Brian Mahoney, The Associated Press
