The need for Norman Powell, a match-up change for Miami and other Heat-Knicks keys

The Heat head to New York after making a stop in Boston on Friday night with a relatively short-handed group.

Tyler Herro, Pelle Larsson, and Nikola Jovic remain out again for Miami, while Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins are questionable tonight after missing the last game.

This will actually be the fourth match-up with the Knicks this season, as they've come away with a 2-1 record up to this point.

But let's get into some keys of how this one might be different:

1. Potential bounce back for one Heat scorer.

Nov 17, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) and guard Josh Hart (3) during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Norman Powell isn't coming off his best performance after a 1 for 11 three point shooting night in Boston. He hasn't had many of those this season with Miami, and he especially hasn't in the three games against the Knicks early in the year. He led the Heat in scoring in each of those match-ups, including a 38 point, 8 three performance back in November. The point is that this match-up allows for him to find a shooting flow, and they absolutely need him to assert his dominance on the offensive end. He used to be able to pick his moments when the depth was peaking, but in this time of need, Powell's aggressiveness needs to be a topic of this game.

2. One three game trend vs Knicks expected to continue.

Nov 17, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) shoots the basketball against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

When looking over the last three Knicks match-ups, there was one constant: starting Kel'el Ware. That must continue with the guys that are missing, but it almost seems he should be out there no matter what as he's found another consistent run of scoring and rebounding at a high level. Mitchell Robinson has been a force against the Heat this season as one of the Knicks most impactful players as he does his damage on the offensive glass. Miami will need to lean into their big front-court even more, and prioritize getting their young big man back into his two-way flow.

3. Important match-ups to watch for.

Nov 17, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) protects the basketball from Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) during the third quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

While Robinson is a major factor for the Knicks, he is somebody currently coming off the bench to do his damage as a reserve. What that means for the Heat and their starting front-court is that the match-ups aren't as simple as usual when facing the Knicks. Naturally you might say Ware defends Karl-Anthony Towns while Bam Adebayo guards a wing like Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby, but I'm not sure that's what they should do. Towns has given Miami many problems due to his skill level out-playing Ware on the perimeter. Instead watch for Adebayo on Towns, while Miami plants Ware on somebody like Josh Hart. Possibly no Davion Mitchell could mean a green light for Jalen Brunson, as there's a chance Miami's young rookie Kasparas Jakucionis could have quite the task in front of him.