Brunson burns Heat to help Knicks square series

NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson scored 30 points and keyed the run the New York Knicks needed just in time to get by a Miami Heat team playing without Jimmy Butler, evening the Eastern Conference semifinals at a game apiece with a 111-105 victory Tuesday night.

Julius Randle returned from a sprained left ankle that sidelined him in Game 1 with 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, and RJ Barrett scored 16 of his 24 points in the first quarter for the No 5-seeded Knicks. Josh Hart finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

"I thought Julius gutted it out, played tough. I thought Jalen was fantastic," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "RJ big, big start to the game for us, so we had a number of guys step up to get it done."