The New York Knicks (19*-8) host the Miami Heat (15-13) at Madison Square Garden this evening. It’s the fourth meeting of the season, with Miami holding a 2–1 edge.
When they last faced off, on November 17, Miami defeated New York 115–113 at the Kaseya Center. Norman Powell scored 19 points, Kel’el Ware posted a 16-14 double-double, and Davion Mitchell adding 18 as the Heat closed out a tight finish despite missing Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Deuce McBride led the Knicks with 25 points, followed
by Mikal Bridges with 23 and Karl-Anthony Towns with 22 points and 16 rebounds. New York fell short after erasing a 10-point deficit in the final three minutes. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby missed the game due to injury.
The Knicks are holding down second place in the Eastern Conference but have looked a tad bedraggled since winning the NBA Cup tournament in Las Vegas and playing a back-to-back against the Pacers in Indy and the 76ers at home.
Miami started the season on a tear but then lost steam. They have been inconsistent in December, dropping seven of their last ten.
Veteran Powell has played All-Star-caliber ball this season, averaging 24 PPG and making 48% from the field. Sophomore has been a force in the paint, averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds per game. Bam Adebayo has averaged 18.5 points and nine rebounds.
The Day-Glos are puttering along on the injury bus. In Friday’s loss to Boston, they started rookie Kasparas Jakucionis, marking just his third game of the season. The youngster scored 17 points 36 minutes, hitting 5-of-8 from deep. We blame Pat Riley’s pact with Satan for all of Miami’s good fortune.
Today, Miami will be without Herro (toe), Pelle Larsson (ankle), and Nikola Jovic (elbow), while Mitchell (ankle) and Andrew Wiggins (back) are listed as game-time decisions.
Erik Spoelstra’s team moves the ball well and opts for more twos than threes. They’re a top six rebounding team (45.6 per game) but are out rebounded on average (48.4 per game). Defense is where they have an edge: they currently rank third for defensive rating and steal the ball almost nine times per game. They allow 41 threes per contest, but the opponent makes only 34% of them. So, expect strong contests on the perimeter shots tonight.
Prediction
ESPN.com likes New York at 70%. But they also gave them heavy odds on Friday against Philly, so. . . . do with that what you will.
From deep against Miami this season, the Knicks shot 28% in the first game (a loss) , 40% in the second (a win), and 25% in the third (a loss). If the Knicks have the stroke from deep today, the Heat will be cooked. Given how tired some of them looked on Friday night, you might be nervous about that. New York will need strong games from KAT and Mitchell Robinson to counteract Ware and Adebayo, and it will help to have Deuce McBride’s production back in the lineup (if he suits up). Two of the previous matchups were decided by eight points, one by two. Let’s split the difference: Knicks by five.
Game Details
Teams: New York Knicks (19*-8) vs Miami Heat (15-13)
Date: Sunday, December 21, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM ET
Location: Madison Square Garden, NYC
TV: MSG
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky
