The Miami Heat take on the New York Knicks as the Heat are back at the South Beach. They lost their season home opener against the Magic and put up a lackluster performance in front of their home crowd. However, they turned it around with back-to-back wins against the Hornets and the Pistons.

After a performance to forget against the Magic, Jimmy Butler also looked much more like himself in the next two games, scoring 26 and 23 points respectively. Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier also looked in great form. On the other hand, the new-look Knicks were schooled in their opening game by the Celtics, which won by a 25-point margin. Then they did bounce back from their setback in their second game against the Pacers.

In that game, Jalen Brunson led the scoring by netting 26 points, and the home debutant Karl-Anthony Towns had a strong showing as well by scoring 21 points, 15 boards, and two vital blocks. The team was firing on all cylinders on the night but in their third game after leading for three quarters the Cavaliers went on a great run to win the game 110-104.

Reflecting on his team’s performance against the Cavaliers HC Tom Thibodeau said, “Just, you know, Miss some shots, gave him some easy ones in transition. So you know that hurt us.” Missing some important shots and giving away easy buckets was the reason they let the Cavalier come back is what the HC wanted to say.

Let’s take a closer look at how the two teams match up in this clash by examining the injury report and depth charts.

Injury Reports

New York Knicks Injury Report

The Knicks have a few players on their injury report at the moment including their starter Josh Hart who is questionable for this game due to a lower leg contusion. Next on the list is Kevin McCullar who will miss the game due to a knee injury. The two other players on the list are Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson. Achiuwa sustained a strained left hamstring in the final preseason game against the Wizards and will be re-evaluated in the next two to four weeks. Robinson had been ruled out for the beginning of the season due to an ankle injury.

Miami Heat Injury Report

The only name that will be missing for the Heat as they take on the Knicks is their trusted role player Kevin Love. The NBA champion has missed the first three games due to personal reasons that are not disclosed and will be missing this clash as well due to the same.

Depth Charts

New York Knicks Depth Chart

Miami Heat Depth Chart

Ultimately, it promises to be a close game, but the Knicks face some injury concerns, while the Heat will also be without Kevin Love. However, with the Heat entering the matchup on a two-game winning streak and playing at home, the advantage tilts in their favor. Meanwhile, the Knicks need to bounce back from their previous performance against the Cavaliers, where they struggled to close out the game, which ultimately cost them. For the Knicks to secure a win in South Beach, both Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will need to bring their A-game.