RJ Barrett was not in a points mode at Super Bowl Sunday, but when he made a defensive deception during a pick-and-roll coverage, it was the last straw for Tom Thibodeau.
Barrett was torn away halfway through the third quarter and never returned, finishing with three points as the Heat escaped with a 109-103 Garden victory.
Barrett, who has scored 19 points in his last twelve games, was not made available for comment after the game.
“Just look,” Thibodeau said when asked about the Barrett standard. ‘Just trying to find energy. Therefore, we did what we did. Clearly, I am generally very happy with RJ. We watch the movie and make corrections. ”
Julius Randle was his usual tremendous 2020-21 self-throw of 26 points, adding 12 rebounds and seven assists. Reggie Bullock was on fire from the three-point series, which reached a career high with seven 3s, for 21 points.
But the Knicks (11-14) showed they can not win unless Barrett is an important factor, and he was a no-show. Barrett played just 19 minutes and shot 1 of 6 when the Knicks’ winning streak cracked. Barrett was pointless in the first half.
According to sources, the Knicks have reached an agreement with Detroit to acquire veteran points pitcher and Thibodeau favorite Derrick Rose to give them more offensive firepower in the final minutes.
The Knicks were frozen at the end when they tried to return. Randle missed a corner 3 with the Knicks 103-99 with 1:33 left. Alec Burks, who was still 3, put a 3-pointer in front of Barrett in the game.
Miami’s Tyler Herro took the win with his own 3-point lead with 33 seconds left as Miami, an NBA finalist in 2020, reversed the recent bad luck to 9-14. The Heat have lost seven of their previous nine.
“You have to make plays,” Thibodeau said. ‘You have to understand that the fourth term is different. Decision making is different. Officials allow more to go on in terms of physicality. We need to understand that part of it. ”
Rose can do all of those things late in games and did so for the Knicks in 2016-’17, when he scored 18 points per game. Barrett has not yet shown a strong skill to be a closer bond. Even in their recent win in Chicago, Barrett missed three straight shots in the direction.
Meanwhile, Bullock, who has played all 20 games he has played in the first half on six attempts with eight attempts in three tries. Bullock was the receiver of a handful of passes from Randle from the doubles team.
The Knicks equalized a season high with 17 3s, but that was not enough as they scored just 44 points in the second half.
Bullock’s shooting put the Knicks within 60-59 at halftime. But that was too many points for Thibodeau.
“We never defended defensively from the start of the game,” said Thibodeau. ‘They’re a different team than Jimmy [Butler] play. Offensively, I like the first half, but defensively we need to be much better. There were several possessions that defended us pretty well, but did not complete our defense. Against such a team they are going to keep moving and we have to play the whole clock. ”
Before the game, Thibodeau was going over Butler, his former player who finished with 17 points and nine assists.
Thibodeau said the Heat are struggling due to Butler’s various injuries and other COVID-19 absences. The Heat are now 6-5 with Butler and 3-9 without.
“To say we saw him as a superstar, we did not see it,” Thibodeau said. ‘That’s why you can never measure what’s inside someone’s heart or head. He is such an amazing worker and is so smart. He plays the right way, plays to win. ”