Mike Brown opted for a big Knicks lineup to stick with the philosophy in Miles McBride’s absence

MIAMI – Mike Brown returned to his big lineup in Game 3.

With Miles McBride unavailable for personal reasons — a league source said there was a death in his family — Ariel Hukporti rejoined the starters for an expanded lineup on Sunday.

It was in line with the philosophy Brown outlined a few days earlier, when the coach said he would adjust based on the opponent.

In the opener, the Cavaliers had Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley – and Brown responded with a big frontcourt presence. In the second game, the Celtics were shorthanded and Brown pushed OG Anunoby forward by giving McBride the start.

Against Miami, the Heat had two potential centers in the frontcourt — Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware — and Brown gave the nod to Hukporti, who went from a DNP on Friday to the starting lineup on Sunday.

Still, Brown didn’t show much faith in Hukporti, who logged just ten scoreless minutes in the 115-107 loss.

Josh Hart, who missed the opener and most of the preseason due to back spasms, is no longer on a minutes restriction. He played 29 minutes on Sunday with five rebounds, five assists and two points.

Hart was limited to just 19 minutes in the previous game due to design.

Precious Achiuwa didn’t make it to the revenge game.

The former Knick, who played parts of the past two seasons under Tom Thibodeau, was cut by the Heat before the regular season and is a free agent. He had signed a one-year non-guaranteed deal after buying a swanky apartment in South Beach over the summer.

Last season with the Knicks, the 26-year-old grew frustrated with his role, cryptically telling The Post after the team was eliminated from the playoffs, “I would definitely say the way I see the game and the league has changed. Just from this season alone.”

He hoped his experiences and a renewed outlook would translate to a place with the heat.

They didn’t.

“I think what I do differently now is I’ve been to the playoffs pretty much every year in my career,” Achiuwa told reporters before he was fired. “I’ve played a lot of playoff basketball and I’ve gained a lot of experience in that sense, just being able to compete at a high level. … I think that’s helped me grow as a player.”