Preview and prediction for Game 2 between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks

The Miami Heat pulled off a shocking result when they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the first round of the NBA playoffs. They did so in part because of an injury to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Now, as an eighth seed, they have taken a one-game lead over the New York Knicks with a win at Madison Square Garden on Sunday's Game 1.

In the process of this 108-101 victory on their part, injuries were suffered that will inevitably have an effect on the rest of the series. Key performers are not going to be 100%, and that is going to be just another factor for BetOnline customers to handicap.

At this moment, we are frankly not sure who is going to play and who is going to sit. But we're quite certain that there is an "all hands on deck" spirit in the air, which means that Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson of the Knicks, not to mention Jimmy Butler of the Heat, are going to be out there on the floor if at all possible.

Now, what makes this a little dicey is that players, if they are not 100%, might gravitate over to being a liability to their teams, particularly on the defensive end. We got a glimpse of this in the final minutes of Game 1, as Butler, in quite a bit of pain, was not engaging on defense; not switching the way he normally would, and he would go off into the corner on offense.

Of course, things can change, as players get treatment at a rather intense rate. So we will see what happens with Miami's premier playoff asset.

Julius Randle went into the series against Cleveland with an injury, and there was clearly doubt as to whether he could play. He still had something in his outside shot, although his numbers (14.4 points and 6.4 rebounds) weren't reflective of what he did in the regular season.

Jalen Brunson had 25 points and seven assists in Game 1, but he was also suffering a great deal.

All three of these players - Butler, Randle and Brunson - have ankle problems, hence the title of this piece.

Here are the NBA playoff betting lines on Game 2 of this Eastern Conference playoff series, as they are posted at BetOnline.ag:

New York Knicks -6.5 (-114)
Miami Heat +6.5 (-106)

Over 206.5 Points -110
Under 206.5 Points -110

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Randle was actually pretty effective in Game 1, as he had 13 points when he was removed in the second quarter. His absence would create a hole, because coach Tom Thibodeau would have a hard time replacing him with players who could be a "plus" on offense from the "Four" spot. It would also direct a lot more attention toward Brunson, and thus might make it more difficult for him to become the playmaker he was brought aboard to be.

But if Brunson himself was out or severely limited, he'd be difficult to replicate, even given the existence of Immanuel Quickley as a backup.

It's worth watching what is going on with Butler, because the Heat doesn't have as much balance, and therefore experience a shortage of "go-to" guys. Remember that Tyler Herro is missing with a broken hand. Victor Oladipo is injured. Thibodeau might employ a scheme that attacks Butler and forces him to either give up the ball or force bad shots, and all of this might have the effect of moving more of the Heat's scoring burden to veterans Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love.

You definitely have to respect Bam Adebayo, a center with multiple capabilities. But Miami possesses neither size nor waves and waves of offensive firepower, so it is going to be critical that they perform on defense. And keep in mind that the Knicks have Mitchell Robinson, who is one of the better offensive rebounders in the NBA, grabbing 29 of them in five games against Cleveland (and five of his total of 14 in Game 1).

So not having all the injury updates, our call as things stand now would be to move with the Knicks, who may be able to generate more offense.

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