MIAMI — Jimmy Butler had 27 points and 10 assists, Bam Adebayo finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds and the Miami Heat moved a win away from their third trip to the Eastern Conference finals in the last four years by topping the New York Knicks 109-101 on Monday night.

Max Strus scored 16 points, Kyle Lowry added 15 and Caleb Martin had 10 for the Heat. Miami, the No. 8 seed, leads the East semifinal series 3-1, with Game 5 – and the first potential clincher – awaiting in New York on Wednesday night.

Jalen Brunson finished with 32 points and 11 assists for fifth-seeded New York, while RJ Barrett had 24 points and Julius Randle scored 20 for the Knicks before fouling out with about three minutes left.

Miami missed 12 of its first 15 shots of the fourth quarter, but the Knicks didn’t take full advantage — trimming only three points off the Heat lead in that span. It was nine entering the fourth, and a pair of free throws by Brunson with 4:40 left got New York within 99-93.

But a slam by Martin breathed some life into an antsy building, and the roars got a bit louder about a minute later. With the Knicks down seven, Randle went into the lane – but Strus beat him to the spot, drawing contact that became the New York star’s sixth foul with 3:08 left, and the Heat held control the rest of the way.

The Knicks never led in Game 3, then held the lead twice in Game 4.

Barely. They had a pair of one-point leads in the opening quarter, for a combined 33 seconds, and with Miami erasing the deficits with immediate baskets on its next possession.

JOKIC FINED $25,000: Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was fined $25,000 by the league Monday for making improper contact in the stands with Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia.

No suspension, though. The two-time NBA MVP is all set for Game 5 on Tuesday night in Denver, with the second-round series tied at 2-2.

It was nearly the outcome Ishbia was hoping for in a series where the home team has won every game. On his Twitter account Monday, Ishbia praised his team’s performance and urged no further disciplinary action for Jokic.

“Great win for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far!” Ishbia posted. “That should be and is the only story. Suspending or fining anyone over last nights incident would not be right. I have alot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that. Excited for game 5! Go Suns!”

Jokic was assessed a technical foul in the second quarter of Game 4 on Sunday night when the big man tried to snatch the ball back from Ishbia, who was sitting courtside, and hit Ishbia with an elbow.

The situation set social media ablaze and overshadowed a game in which the Suns won 129-124. One of the topics up for debate was whether it was a flop by Ishbia, a former walk-on basketball player at Michigan State, or excessive contact from Jokic.

“I was hoping they’d give him a flopping charge,” Nuggets Coach Michael Malone said Monday about Ishbia. “That would probably be the only fine I could imagine, but I have no idea.”

The fracas began when Suns guard Josh Okogie crashed into the seats while trying to save a loose ball. He landed in a group of fans on the baseline that included Ishbia, who held on to the basketball.

Jokic was trying to get the ball quickly – apparently so the Nuggets could start getting into their offensive possession – when he attempted to grab the ball away from Ishbia. The ball flew backward into the crowd, and then Ishbia was knocked backward by Jokic’s elbow.

Jokic defended his actions after a game in which he had 53 points and 11 assists.

“The fan put the hand on me first,” Jokic explained. “I thought the league was supposed to protect us. Maybe I am wrong. I know who he is, but he is a fan. Isn’t he?”

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM: Rookie of the year Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic headlined the All-Rookie team, released by the NBA on Monday.

Banchero was the only player to be selected as a first-teamer on all 100 ballots. He was joined on the first team by Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz, Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers, Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings and Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

They were also the top five vote-getters in the rookie of the year balloting.