Norris Cole of the Heat puts the pressure on Jeremy Lin (17). Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images, courtesy of cnnsi.com.

The Miami Heat closed out the first half of the season with a 102-88 victory over the New York Knicks last night.  The Heat go into the All-Star break with a 26-7 overall record and are currently riding an eight-game winning streak.  The Heat have won each of those eight games by at least twelve points.

Last night, the Heat restored some measure of sanity by holding the Knicks’ Jeremy Lin to eight points (1-11 from the floor).  The Heat also forced Lin into eight turnovers, one of which came on Norris Cole’s steal and led to this dunk (the judges will deduct points for not sticking the landing):

Following the game, LeBron James remarked that Lin is “a good player, a really good player … But for us, we come in and take care of business.”  Speaking of taking care of business, LeBron posted the following line for the game: 20 points (7-16 from the floor), 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals, and 2 blocks.

In fairness to Lin, this game came at the end of a ten-day stretch during which the Knicks played seven games.  Lin has been playing a ton of minutes since he burst into the lineup, so fatigue is almost certainly a factor.  There will be no rest for the weary, though, as Lin has been added to the lineup for tonight’s Rising Stars Challenge game.

Andre Dawkins led Duke with 22 points in a 74-66 win over Florida State. Photo by Phil Sears (AP), courtesy of cnnsi.com.

In last night’s college action, Duke junior guard Andre Dawkins (Chesapeake / Atlantic Shores Christian) came off the bench to score in 22 points in 21 minutes to help the Blue Devils defeat Florida State and avenge the last-second home loss to the Seminoles earlier this year.  Dawkins canned six three-pointers, with five of those coming in the first half (on six attempts).

Dawkins’ play was a key to the win, as his 18 first-half points made up for the fact that Duke forwards Miles Plumlee, Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly struggled with first-half foul trouble.