Kel'el Ware dominance not enough against scorching Knicks

The Miami Heat arrived in Madison Square Garden tonight for the second time this season, and the fourth time overall in this young NBA season.

Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins returned to the starting lineup after missing the previous game against Boston, while Tyler Herro, Pelle Larsson, and Nikola Jovic remained out.

The high paced, high scoring style made a return tonight, as things started to look like the early-season version with the transition attempts and overall efficiency. But the Knicks scoring overpowered Miami ultimately.

So let's get into some takeaways from this game:

1. Kel'el Ware dominating on both ends yet again.

Dec 6, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) warms up against the Sacramento Kings before the game at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

The Heat's offense didn't look as jammed tonight as it has as of late. One of the main reasons for that was Kel'el Ware once again opening things up with his half-court impact. The three ball just keeps dropping for him, as he slightly hops into his spot before launching from deep. But the interior impact has been real, not only as a lob threat on the move, but mostly as somebody making himself felt on the offensive glass, ironically against a guy that is known for that in Mitchell Robinson. As the hot scoring started to stall a bit late in the second quarter, his putback dunks off misses were one of the few energizers. He's just been so consistent as of late, and that's a description many called the difference maker for him. After making his 5th three of the night late in the fourth, he was 11 for 14 from deep in these last two games. He's just been incredible.

2. Dealing with Jalen Brunson and the Knicks' offense.

Dec 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives past Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Miami of the past used to love games that were in the mud for the majority of the night. It fit the team's personnel, and kept things close when their talent level didn't match the opposition. But as we've seen this season, the Heat struggle more in that environment. The high scoring battles is where they find comfort, and we saw that in the first half. While Miami was scoring however they wanted for long stretches, they had trouble stopping Jalen Brunson (27 points at half) and Mikal Bridges (18 points at half). It's hard to slow down a team's fast paced, early clock buckets when that is your goal yourself. It's the trade off in this style, and Miami has been forced to live with the punches that get thrown at them. Funneling from man to zone, Miami found trouble slowing down the perimeter scorers.

3. Norman Powell's third quarter pickup not enough.

Dec 15, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) looks at the referee after a play against the Toronto Raptors during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

After an ugly and non-inclusive offensive first half for Norman Powell with 3 points, he turned it on to start the second half. Nineteen points in the third quarter alone, as he was working all levels as an aggressive force. Threes started to drop as he began finding space, but the shifting factor was how often he would put his head down for nice one-on-one drives. Solid finish after solid finish kept Miami in striking distance, but never enough to fully get over the top and regain that lead. Powell and Ware tried to match the scoring burst of the Knicks time and time again, but it simply wasn't enough.