Knicks at Heat
THE STORY: Carmelo Anthony put the New York Knicks on his back on Sunday and made sure that they would not be swept out of the playoffs. But the win came at a cost, with point guard Baron Davis the latest to be lost with an injury. The Miami Heat are healthy, heading home and enjoying a 3-1 lead in the series. LeBron James and company will try to finish out the series in Game 5 on Wednesday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), SUN (Miami), TNT
ABOUT THE KNICKS: Anthony scored 12 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Game 4 and New York still had to sweat out a last-second miss by Dwyane Wade before celebrating. That 89-87 win snapped a 13-game postseason losing streak for the franchise. Amar'e Stoudemire, who sat out Game 3 after cutting his hand, recorded 20 points and 10 boards despite playing with a heavy wrap on the hand. But the Knicks suffered another blow in the third quarter when Baron Davis tore two knee ligaments and his patella tendon driving to the basket. Already without starting guard Iman Shumpert, New York will break in a new backcourt in Game 5. Jeremy Lin, who underwent knee surgery five weeks ago, has been practicing with the team but has yet to play.
ABOUT THE HEAT: Miami cruised through the first three games because their stars played like stars and the role players stepped up. In Game 4, Wade went 4 for 11 from the free throw line and lost his handle driving the lane on the final play. James committed five turnovers but ended up with a team-high 27 points. Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller and Shane Battier, who had taken turns stepping up in the first three games, combined for 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting in Game 4. Heat coach Eric Spoelstra made the decision to put Battier on Anthony in the fourth quarter and the veteran forward could not contain the Knicks’ star. Previously, James had gotten the bulk of the time on Anthony.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Knicks are bidding to become the first NBA team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series.
2. Davis, 33, had an MRI reveal the massive damage. He will be out about a year.
3. Wade has been playing with a dislocated left index finger.