Heats stop Knicks

NBA results Knicks    88-102     Heat Magic    78-83     Hawks Spurs    114-99     Nuggets LA Lakers 85-100 Thunder

Friday, February 24, 2012
Chris Bosh prepares to make a free throw. The Heat forward scored a game high 25 points against the New York Knicks on Thursday night. Net Photo.

NBA resultsKnicks    88-102     HeatMagic    78-83     HawksSpurs    114-99     NuggetsLA Lakers 85-100 ThunderMIAMI (AP) — Jeremy Lin’s rapid rise from unknown to superstar was slowed big-time Thursday night by the Miami Heat, who overwhelmed the NBA’s hottest story with a swarming defense that the Knicks’ new starting point guard could not solve.Forcing Lin into easily the worst game of his remarkable run as New York’s newest star, Miami topped the Knicks 102-88—the eighth straight win for the NBA-leading Heat, all by at least 12 points.Chris Bosh scored 25 points, Dwyane Wade added 22 and LeBron James finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Miami, which will go into the All-Star break with the NBA’s best record (27-7).Lin’s final line: 1 for 11 from the field, eight points, three assists—a long way from the 23.9 points and 9.2 assists he had been averaging over his first 11 games in the Knicks’ rotation, when he breathed immeasurable life into a team that was floundering."First of all, he deserves all of the credit he’s been given,” Wade said. "We knew it was going to be a tough task guarding him. … He’s a good player, but we put a lot of pressure on him and it was a success.”