(My Sportsbook) - The New York Knicks will try to build on the most complete game they played all season when they travel to Miami to face the Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena.

New York is coming off a 97-80 home win over the Seattle SuperSonics, which snapped a three-game slide. The Knicks played with a little of the edge and physicality that was their trademark during the years Pat Riley coached the team. Of course, they face Riley and his new team Friday.

Allan Houston scored 25 points and Kurt Thomas added 22 to the victory. Thomas shoved Seattle's Vladimir Radmanovic as the teams left the floor, indicative of the way the game was played.

"He gave me a little shot at the end, and I wanted him to know I didn't appreciate it -- whatever his name is," Thomas said.

Seattle coach Nate McMillian knew his team was manhandled by the undersized Knicks.

"We really got pushed around out there and got taken out of what we wanted to do by the physical play," McMillian said. "We knew we had to be physical with these guys, but Thomas just dominated the game when he was in."

New York returns home for two games after its trip to Miami. The Knicks are 1-6 on the road and 4-11 within the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, Miami has lost four straight and six of its last eight games. The Heat are coming off a 107-96 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, which was Memphis' only road win of the season. Wasted in the loss was a season-high, 33-point effort by Eddie Jones.

"We played with a lot of energy throughout the game until we went offensively dead in the water," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "They threw up a zone in the middle of the fourth. We got shots and attacked it, but we just couldn't make them."

The Heat are struggling this season. Miami is 3-7 at home and has a 2-10 mark within the Eastern Conference.

The two teams split four regular-season meetings last season, with each winning a game on the other's court. New York has lost seven of its last 10 at Miami, but leads the all-time series 41-20.

MCDYESS ON THE MEND

Antonio McDyess was believed to be lost for the season when he shattered his kneecap in a preseason game. Now, the All-Star forward may very well be healing ahead of schedule, and is hoping for a return in late March.

"I'm healing pretty fast. I'm not going to try to get my hopes up, but my goal is to play," McDyess told The New York Post. "Whether it's this year or next year, but hopefully it is this year. I'm not going to rush anything, but when I'm 100 percent, I'm looking to play.

"I was supposed to keep on the cast for six weeks. I had the cast off two weeks after the surgery. Now I'm bending my leg, which I wasn't even supposed to bend until after six weeks. I think things are further along than they're supposed to be."

New York may want to err on the side of caution, since McDyess missed all but 10 games with an injury to the same knee while on the Denver Nuggets last season.