Knicks storm back to beat Miami 116-95 and send Heat to their 8th straight loss

NEW YORK (AP) - Mikal Bridges scored 28 points, Josh Hart tied a franchise record with his eighth triple-double this season and the New York Knicks beat Miami 116-95 on Monday night, sending the Heat to their first eight-game losing streak of coach Erik Spoelstra’s career.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points for the Knicks, who fell behind 12-0, then completely turned around the game after Towns scored 15 straight in the second quarter. New York won the season series 3-0 for its first sweep of Miami since 1992-93.

New York led by six midway though the third quarter when the game was delayed for the court to be cleaned up after a fan vomited. The Knicks outscored the Heat 24-6 after the delay to lead 88-64 heading into the fourth.

Duncan Robinson scored 22 points for the Heat (29-39), who lost a game they led by double digits for the 18th time this season. The eight-game skid is their longest since March 2008, the last season under Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley before Spoelstra took over.

Heat: Miami has blown leads against everybody but specialized in that against the Knicks this season. The Heat led by at least 13 in all three losses.

Knicks: New York predicably looked low on energy early after finishing a five-game West Coast trip late Saturday night. But Towns, Bridges and Hart were more than enough to revive a team playing without injured All-Star Jalen Brunson.

Miami led 31-18 after getting the first basket of the second quarter. Towns then scored the next 15 points, including three 3-pointers and a pair of dunks, to give the Knicks their first lead at 33-31.

Hart had 12 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists to tie Hall of Fame guard Walt Frazier’s total of eight triple-doubles in 1968-69. Hart has 14 triple-doubles with the Knicks, which ranks fourth in franchise history.

The Heat host Detroit on Wednesday to start a five-game homestand that will include Jimmy Butler’s return to Miami on March 25. The Knicks visit San Antonio on Wednesday.