There will be no NBA Cup banner hanging at Madison Square Garden in honor of the New York Knicks’ tournament title.
But there has been an NBA Cup hangover for the Knicks, who will look to further shake off the cobwebs Sunday night when they host the Miami Heat in a battle of longtime rivals.
Both teams were off Saturday after sustaining defeats Friday, when the host Knicks fell to the Philadelphia 76ers 116-107 while the visiting Heat lost to the Boston Celtics, 129-116.
The loss ended what amounted to a seven-game winning streak for the Knicks, whose 124-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup championship game in Las Vegas Tuesday night doesn’t count in the regular-season standings.
The wear-and-tear from a chaotic travel schedule and the intensity of the NBA Cup began catching up to the Knicks Thursday. The Indiana Pacers, who have the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, led New York by as many as 16 points before Jalen Brunson capped the Knicks’ comeback with a game-winning 3-pointer with 5.6 seconds left in a 114-113 victory.
The Knicks, who haven’t won an NBA title since 1973, returned home for the first time since Dec. 7 Friday and commemorated the NBA Cup victory with a brief video before fading in the fourth quarter.
The 76ers, who are in fifth place in the East, outscored the Knicks 28-20 over the final 12 minutes. New York shot just 34.6% from the field in the fourth, including 1-of-8 from 3-point land.
“We’ve got to hold each other to a higher standard — I’ve got to hold myself to a higher standard,” said Brunson, who finished with 22 points but was 0-for-5 from the field while missing his only free throw attempt in the fourth. “It’s not like we got blown out tonight. It was very winnable.”
The Heat were also in no mood to offer excuses after an undermanned roster ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. Miami was outscored 37-27 in the last period — during which the Celtics shot 61.9% from the field (13 of 21), including 66.7% (10 of 15) from 3-point land — as it lost for the sixth time in seven games.
The Heat played Friday without starters Davion Mitchell (left ankle), Andrew Wiggins (back) and Tyler Herro (right toe) as well as reserves Nikola Jovic (right elbow) and Pelle Larsson (left ankle). Jovic and Larsson did not travel with Miami on a three-game road trip that ends Sunday.
Rookie Kasparas Jakucionis and second-year player Kel’el Ware thrived with additional playing time Friday, as they combined for 41 points while shooting a robust 73.3% (11-of-15) from 3-point land. The start was the first of the season for Jakucionis, while Ware’s six 3-pointers equaled his total over the previous nine games combined.
But the rest of the Heat shot just 23.5% (8 of 34) from long distance.
“This is the definition of Miami Heat basketball,” Wiggins said. “Whoever you put out there, it’s going to be a game.”
