MIAMI _ The motivation throughout the day at AmericanAirlines Arena was to erase the stench of the Miami Heat's 29-point loss the last time they faced the New York Knicks.
Coach Erik Spoelstra and his players spent the morning reliving all the gruesome lowlights of that November evening at Madison Square Garden. The talk from that point was about the importance of not going down 0-2 in the four-game season series.
So overwhelming fury? Not exactly.
Merely survival, by a 107-103 count in overtime Friday night.
On a night the Heat attempted a franchise-record 42 3-pointers and Wayne Ellington a franchise individual-record 16, the Heat survived a 3-pointer by Doug McDermott that forced the extra period with 1.1 seconds to play in the fourth quarter.
Ellington led the Heat with 24 points, supported by 19 from Goran Dragic, 18 from Josh Richardson, 16 from Tyler Johnson, 10 from Kelly Olynyk and 12 from center Hassan Whiteside, who watched the finish from the bench.
The Knicks got 24 points from Courtney Lee, 20 from former Heat forward Michael Beasley and 15 from Kristaps Porzingis.
It wasn't pretty, but the result was enough to get the Heat four games above .500, with a decidedly different feel around the team than after that humbling loss at Madison Square Garden.
The Heat remained without Dion Waiters and Justise Winslow, this time also without Derrick Walton Jr., due to illness.
The Knicks remained without Tim Hardaway Jr., who remains out with a leg issue.
A Beasley driving runner put the Knicks up 99-97 early in overtime, with the former Heat forward then crumpling to the court. After Beasley went out, Dragic converted a 3-pointer for a 100-99 Heat lead.
James Johnson then dropped to 0 for 7 from the field with a wayward 3-pointer.
Porzingis worked his way to the line with 2:45 left, with his free throws putting the Knicks up 101-100.
But back came Ellington with a 3-pointer for a 103-101 Heat lead, on the Heat's 42nd 3-point attempt of the night.
That was followed by a transition layup by Jarrett Jack to tie it 103-103.
After several wild sequences, Richardson found himself at the line in the tie with 25.7 seconds left. He made both for a 105-103 Heat lead. That led to the Knicks final timeout.
Beasley, back at that stage, fed Jack for a 15-foot that was off, with the Knicks given possession when the rebound went out of bounds.
Fouled, Heat forward James Johnson then made both of his free throws for a 107-103 lead.
The teams stood tied 80-80 with 4:40 to play in regulation before a Porzingis jumper gave New York an 88-86 lead. Porzingis then matched an Olynyk basket to leave the Knicks up two.
A Dragic 3-pointer with 2:41 left in regulation then put the Heat up 91-90, with the Heat forcing a Porzingis miss on the other end.
Richardson then worked his way to the foul line, with his free throws putting the Heat up 93-90.
But that's when Beasley scored inside with 1:04 left in the fourth to draw New York within 93-92.
After miss by Heat forward James Johnson, Beasley got to the line for a pair of free throws that put New York up 94-93.
Of an uneven possession, Olynyk then got to the line with 32.2 seconds left in regulation, for his first free throws of the night. He made both for a 95-94 lead.
The Knicks countered by going back to Beasley, who was off, with Ellington controlling the rebound and the Heat calling their final timeout.
Forced to foul, the Knicks sent Richardson to the line with 13.2 seconds to play in the fourth. At 3 of 3 from the line to that stage, he made both for a 97-94 lead.
A 3-pointer off a rebound scramble by McDermott with 1.1 seconds to play _ and the Heat out of timeouts _ then sent it into overtime.
