Knicks' Julius Randle (3) and Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler (22) battle for the ball during an NBA basketball game Monday, March 29, 2021. Credit: AP/Mike Stobe
Hours after Mitchell Robinson underwent his second surgical procedure in a six-week span the Knicks had a taste of life without him. But it wasn’t a replacement for the 7-foot center that they needed as much as they needed an answer for Miami’s Jimmy Butler.
Butler, one of Knicks’ coach Tom Thibodeau’s favorites from his days in Chicago and Minnesota, took over a defensive battle in the third quarter, leading Miami to a 98-88 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.