Heat 92 - Knicks 84

December 23, 2002

NEW YORK (AP) -- Mike James hopes he'll have better games. For now, he'll take his breakthrough performance at Madison Square Garden.

James scored a career-high 17 points and Eddie Jones led Miami with 22 as the Heat beat the New York Knicks 92-84 on Sunday.
 
``It just opened up for me,'' James said. ``I wish I could get 38 points as a career high, but I've got to be patient.''

He was, until the final moments of the third quarter.

He gave the Heat the lead for good by banking in a running jumper at the third-quarter buzzer, and scored twice to start the fourth as Miami went on a 14-2 run. James went on to score 11 of his points in the final quarter as the Heat won three straight for the first time this season.

``No one really knows me,'' said James, who appeared in only 15 games for Miami last season. ``They gave me a lot of good looks and I took advantage.''

The Knicks didn't take advantage of theirs.

After shooting 65 percent and scoring 31 points in the opening quarter, New York didn't score more than 19 in the next three periods and finished the game shooting 41 percent.

Jones tied the game at 54 with 7:15 left in the third quarter, and Caron Butler's baseline hook gave the Heat a 60-58 lead, its first since the first quarter. Still, the Knicks had a chance in the game's closing moments.

Howard Eisley, who led New York with 19 points, hit three free throws to make it 84-77 with 2:22 left. Butler hit a jumper 20 seconds later, though, and Malik Allen hit an open jumper from the top of the key. The Knicks never got closer than seven after that.

``They wanted the game more than we did,'' New York's Latrell Sprewell said, ``and we can't have that, especially at home.''

Kurt Thomas had 16 for the Knicks.

Allen added 17 for the Heat.

Steve Javie officiated his first Heat game since Miami coach Pat Riley accused Javie of holding a grudge against him. Riley was fined $50,000 for his Dec. 13 comments, which singled out Javie but also included officials throughout the league.

``I didn't give it that much thought,'' Riley said.

Riley's comments centered on discrepancies in free throws. Before Sunday's game, the Heat had shot 226 fewer free throws than their opponents, including 21 less than the Knicks in Miami.

On Sunday, the Heat shot 27 free throws to the Knicks' 14, and played tough defense in the second half to hold off the Knicks.

``We weren't rotating and we were doubling Sprewell in the post,'' Jones said. ``In the second half, we made them drive to the basket and contested their shots.''

Jones was 0-for-5 in the first period, but hit his first three jumpers andhad three free throws to start the second as Miami cut the lead to 41-34.

Notes

Sprewell scored 14 points on just 5-of-14 shooting. ... Allen started his second straight game after injuring his right knee Wednesday night in Boston. ... The Knicks were called for 21 personal fouls to Miami's 19. ... Javie called Allen for a foul on the Knicks' first possession. ... Riley had a few choice words for the offal's on two plays, once for Scott Wall and once forMark Wunderlich, but never yelled at Javie.

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