MIAMI _ After three games decided by a total of five points, the Miami Heat were looking for a chance to exhale Wednesday night.
They found the right opponent.
With former Heat assistant coach David Fizdale arriving with a New York Knicks roster lacking sidelined Kristaps Porzingis but flush with opportunity to load up this season on lottery balls, the Heat finally played with breathing room in a 110-88 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Going in, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, "Ideally, yeah, we'd love to have a 20-point win. We didn't have many of those last year. So I don't even know if we're anticipating a bunch of those."
After a rough start that included an early 11-point deficit, the Heat regained their stride in the second quarter to go up two at halftime and then were off to the races from there, outscoring the Knicks 45-20 in the third quarter.
Going with a big lineup at the outset _ as much out of necessity as design _ the Heat got 22 points and 14 rebounds from center Hassan Whiteside, who was given the fourth quarter off.
Forward Rodney McGruder, who continued his 2018-19 breakout, kept the Heat afloat early, closing with 19 points.
By the time it was over, even Josh Richardson was able to erase a regrettable start, when he had four turnovers in the game's first six minutes, finishing with 21 points.
Ultimately, it turned into a night of celebration for the Heat, a reunion game of sorts, with Fizdale back as coach of the Knicks and former Heat players Chris Bosh, Tim Hardaway and Jason Williams watching in the stands.
