The New York Knicks staved off elimination with a Game 5 win over the Heat and there were three key reasons for pulling out the victory.
The New York Knicks were one game away from getting sent home in the playoffs but fought back to avoid elimination on Wednesday night in Game 5 to beat the Miami Heat, 112-103.
Despite building a comfortable lead in the second half, the Knicks almost blew this game late but were able to hang on and keep the series going. Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes played every minute in the victory while Mitchell Robinson sunk clutch free throws late after getting hacked strategically by Miami, much to the delight of The Garden.
Even with almost blowing a huge lead that they build in the third quarter and looking lost offensively in the fourth quarter, the Knicks pulled out the victory to stay alive. Here are the key reasons they were able to take this Eastern Conference Semifinal series back to Miami.
Knicks: 3 key reasons New York fought off elimination to win Game 5 vs. Heat
3. Julius Randle
Julius Randle really struggled in the first half of this game and couldn't really do anything on the offensive end, missing what felt like all of his shots. The second half was a different story. He ended up with 24 points on 53 percent shooting from the floor. Additionally, he added five assists to the box score as well.
Randle was able to rebound from a very poor performance in this series so far in the second half and help lead the Knicks to extend the series and send it back to Miami.
2. RJ Barrett
RJ Barrett struggled early in Game 5 but ended up with an amazing performance. He finished the night with 26 points on 47 percent shooting from the floor to go with seven rebounds. His ability to drive and penetrate was a real catalyst for the Knicks offense.
It was really tempting to put Quentin Grimes here instead of Barrett due to the fact that he was able to play all 48 minutes in this game (and provide very solid floor spacing) but he didn't have good enough statistics in this game to give the nod here over a 20+ point game from Barrett.
1. Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunson had the best game of his career with the Knicks' season on the line. The offseason signing played all 48 minutes but didn't show any signs of fatigue, ending the night with 38 points on 54 percent shooting to go along with seven assists and nine rebounds.
With Randle struggling in the first half, New York needed someone to pick up the slack and Brunson answered the call, including a big second quarter with four made field goals, including a deep triple. Whether or not Brunson and Grimes playing 48 minutes for the remainder of the series is sustainable remains to be seen. However, if he and the Knicks can carry momentum from the second half into Game 6 and possibly Game 7, they aren't out of the playoffs yet.