Knicks 112, Heat 92: Raymond Felton recorded a season-high 27 points and matched a career best with six 3-pointers as New York overcame the absence of leading scorer Carmelo Anthony to hand Miami its first home loss of the season.
Felton shot 10-for-20 from the field and Steve Novak came off the bench to score 18 points for the Knicks, who drilled 18 3-pointers en route to their fifth straight win.
LeBron James collected team highs of 31 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for Miami, which fell to 8-1 at AmericanAirlines Arena. The loss was the team’s worst since James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in South Beach.
After the teams played to a 53-53 stalemate over the first half, New York made eight 3-pointers – including three by Felton – during the third quarter to seize an 85-67 advantage.
The Heat trimmed the deficit to 10 to start the fourth quarter, but Novak drained a pair of 3-pointers and a long jumper in just over a two-minute span to seal the victory. Miami lost its second straight after falling to league-worst Washington on Tuesday night.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Anthony received five stitches in the middle finger of his left hand following Wednesday’s 100-98 victory over Charlotte. Anthony, who was injured while diving to save a loose ball, took a few practice shots prior to Thursday’s game before the team made the decision to sit him out. … The Knicks have defeated the Heat on both occasions this season. They cruised to a 104-84 victory on Nov. 2 in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. … Prior to Thursday, Miami’s worst loss in the “Big 3 Era” was a 97-82 setback to Memphis on April 6.
