MIAMI — Jeremy Lin finally met his match last night, and it was ugly.
In by far his worst performance during this 12-game surreal surge, Lin fell apart under the South Beach spotlight and the Knicks caved with him in a disappointing 102-88 loss to the mighty Heat last night at rabid AmericanAirlines Arena.
“He can’t be Peter Pan every night,’’ Mike D’Antoni said.
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and point guard Mario Chalmers made sure Linsanity calmed down as the Heat (27-7) won their eighth straight game by 12 or more points — one short of an NBA record.
Lin, the undrafted Harvard point guard and first Chinese-American to play in the NBA, looked the part as he finished with 8 points on 1 of 11 shooting, had just 3 assists and committed eight turnovers in 34 ineffective minutes.
PHOTOS: KNICKS, LIN STRUGGLE AGAINST HEAT
According to Carmelo Anthony, Lin was extremely down in the locker room after the game and some guys got him to laugh.
“He seemed a little bit down and we all went over to him and told him cheer up,’’ Anthony said. “We all have nights like this, playing one of the best teams if not the best team in the NBA. They really focused on trying to stop him. We told him, ‘You’re on the scouting report now.’ He laughed about it.’’
Lin, who was loudly booed during player introductions by the Heat crowd, heads to Orlando for the All-Star weekend festivities as a late addition to tonight’s Rising Stars Challenge featuring rookies and sophomores. He tried to shake off last night’s woes.
“They did a great job of making me uncomfortable,” Lin said. “I need to be better than that. That’s on me.”
The Knicks are 9-3 since Lin commandeered the point-guard position but this loss was eyebrow-raising in its ineptitude. They were tentative, sloppy and Lin failed to control the offensive flow amidst a frenzied throng every bit as loud as a Heat NBA Finals game last season.
”They chased me and picked me up early and made me work for everything,’’ Lin said. “That’s what they do, that’s why they’re great. I have to look at film and get better because of this, continue to build off what I’ve tried to do already.
“They pushed me left a lot, I think their pressure and athleticism did the job over the course of the game. All credit to them.”
D’Antoni said the Knicks will be a “different club’’ in a month when they get the newest pieces to fit. They head into the All-Star break with a losing record (17-18), finishing 2-3 in their last five.
Last night there were signs Lin is wearing down from the rapid-fire rate of games in the lockout schedule, the swarming defenses, and the maddening worldwide attention his Linderella story has attracted.
“It happens,’’ Anthony said. “We told him there’s going to be games like this, as long as we have each other’s back. At the end of the day, it’s only been [12] games for him. A lot of people forget about that. It’s a learning curve for him too.’’
Baron Davis, Lin’s new backup playing in just his third game, didn’t shine either. He was rustier than a ’65 Chevy, going 0 for 7 from the field. The two point guards combined to shoot 1 of 18. D’Antoni said it’s unfair to judge Davis now, that it could “take a month’’ for him to find his form.
Meanwhile, James finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and five steals. Bosh had 25 points and Wade 22 as the Miami Big 3 thrived.
Anthony, also in his third game back, was ragged, still showing signs of rust from his two-week absence. He finished with 19 points, 7 of 20 from the field, badly losing the LeBron battle.
D’Antoni didn’t want to delve too much into Lin’s lousy night.
“We just played arguably the best team in the NBA at the moment,’’ D’Antoni said. “You write it off. It was a combination of everything. Their speed is overwhelming. They are one of the best pick-and-roll defenders. I think he will use it as a learning experience. He didn’t have the legs after playing last night. I am not worried about Jeremy. ’’
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said they treated Lin defensively like “an impactful point guard.
“We wanted to treat him with the adequate respect he deserves because he’s a clever player,’’ he said.
Spoelstra said the Knicks, however, should be on the rise. “We played a team that, with more time, will be very dangerous,’’ Spoelstra said.
marc.berman@nysports.com