Heat use second half surge to take Game 1 over Knicks at Madison Square Garden

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Jimmy Butler had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and the No. 8-seeded Miami Heat kept rolling after barely reaching the postseason, beating the New York Knicks 108-101 on Sunday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Gabe Vincent scored 20 points for the Heat, who became the sixth No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 when they toppled Milwaukee in the first round and continue to look nothing like a team that needed to win a play-in game just to get the final postseason berth in the East.

They averaged 124 points in that series behind Butler's 37.6 per game, but they pulled this one out with old-fashioned defense and rebounding that has always worked so well before for them at this time of year.

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Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat celebrates during Game One of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals of the 2023 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks on April 30, 2023 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.  (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

RJ Barrett scored 26 points and Jalen Brunson had 25 for the fifth-seeded Knicks, who are in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2013. They started strong and led most of the first half, but the Heat eventually got the Madison Square Garden crowd quieter and quieter as the game went on.

Game 2 is Tuesday night.

The Knicks were without All-Star forward Julius Randle because of a sprained left ankle and they surely missed him when the transition points dried up and it became a halfcourt game.

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They could've used his shooting on a day