Kanter and the Knicks heat up against Miami

After dropping down to the ninth seed in the East, the New York Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Heat 115-86 on Wednesday night. The team had to find a way to win without Kristaps Porzingis, who suffered another ankle injury early on that caused him to leave the game. Even without their budding star, the Knicks found a way to get the job done against Miami.

The Kanter Effect

When a star player goes down fans love to see another player step up and lead. That player on Wednesday night was Enes Kanter. Kanter efficiently dropped 22 points on the Heat while grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds. The team as a whole did well in that area thanks to some noticeable help from Michael Beasley with seven rebounds and Willy Hernangomez with eight. Courtney Lee chipped in 17 points while Tim Hardaway Jr. added 12.  Kanter however, has shined for the Knicks throughout the season, the latest game not being an exception. For the season he is averaging 13.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He is arguably the team’s second or third best player, but last night Kanter came out number one.

Do Fans need to worry about KP?

Porzingis’ injury made Kanter’s performace all the more crucial. His various injuries have been an issue so far this season. Halfway through the Knicks thought that Porzingis could return, but he went on to miss the rest of the game. The Knicks play again on Sunday against the Orlando Magic. Hopefully Porzingis will be there to rejoin the team, but may remain sidelined for safety. The Knicks need to weigh on the side of caution as far as Porzingis is concerned. Injuries have a way of slowing down a team’s progress and ruining a player’s season. With Porzingis delivering an MVP-caliber campaign this season, it would be a shame to watch injuries derail him and the team.

The Knicks will look to improve their record on Sunday against the Magic. The team currently stands at the ninth seed thanks to a  slew of bad games and a few injuries. The win against the Heat started a new trend for the team, one that they will surely love to continue.