Knicks vs Heat Game 5: Preview, odds, how to watch, more

The Knicks head back home to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 just one loss away from elimination. They’ll try and stave off elimination against the Heat and send the series back to Miami

#8 Miami Heat (44-38) @ #5 New York Knicks (47-35)

How to Watch:

• Date: Wednesday, May 10th
• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Channel: TNT

Betting Odds:

• Spread: NYK -3.5
• Moneyline: NYK (-165), MIA (+140)
• Game total: 209.5

Preview:

The New York Knicks head back to Madison Square Garden after not taking care of business on the road. They are now just one loss away from being eliminated from the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

They will hope that the home crowd continues to propel the team forward, as the Knicks have three of their four postseason wins at home this year.

However, the Knicks offense has been abysmal during the postseason, even with those wins. They are the only team left in the playoffs that’s averaging fewer than 100 points per game, and they have continued to suffer from having lineups of inconsistent shooters, which allows the Heat to play sag-off and guard against Jalen Brunson’s penetration. 

If the Knicks have any hope of winning, they will need more from their All-Star, Julius Randle. Randle is averaging 18.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per game against the Heat, but that’s on just 43.5% from the field and 22.2% from three. He has also appeared disinterested on the defensive end and may not be healthy enough to give full effort on both ends. 

As a team, the Knicks are shooting just 43.6% from the field and 28.2% from beyond the arc against Miami, which is not going to cut it, even if Miami’s offense also hasn’t been great, averaging just 106.8 points per game during the series.

A big reason for that is that Miami has Jimmy Butler. 

Butler is averaging 33.5 points per game during the playoffs, which is third in the NBA behind Devin Booker and Kawhi Leonard. The Heat star is shooting 56.1% from the field and is so heavily the focus of the Knicks’ defensive strategy that they often leave his teammates open for good looks from beyond the arc. 

The Heat have also succeeded due to the improvement of Bam Adebayo, who has had a tremendous series against the Knicks, averaging 17.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while shooting 53.7% from the field. 

The Knicks will hope to get Immanuel Quickley back for this game after the reserve point guard missed game 4 with a sprained ankle. While Quickley hasn’t had a good postseason, he gives the team much-needed floor spacing on the wing, something severely lacking in lineups with just RJ Barrett and Josh Hart next to Brunson. 

The Knicks seemed to throw everything they had at the Heat offensively in Game 4, especially in the third quarter, but the Heat always had an answer. The fourth quarter simply seemed like New York was a deflated team, not getting to any loose balls and being worked on the glass. 

That may be a clear sign that Miami is the better bet in this series, but this New York team has a ton of pride. I can’t see a team led by Brunson and Hart simply folding in front of their home crowd with the season on the line. 

While I think the Knicks will win this game behind a loud crowd and the Heat will be content to close the series out in Miami, I have a hard time taking the Knicks with the spread. I might take the Heat +3.5, but my favorite bet is actually the Heat to win the first half (+135), which is something they’ve done in five of their last six games against the Knicks this season. 

For more Knicks coverage, visit amNY Sports