Quick Recap: Memphis Grizzlies fall to New York Knicks, 96-104.

The Memphis Grizzlies kicked off the second night of a back-to-back homestand on Saturday night against the New York Knicks. The Beale Street Bears were looking to get things back on track after a valiant losing effort the previous night against the Los Angeles Clippers.

First Quarter

Things started well for the Grizzlies as they got off to a 10-4 lead. However, the Knicks quickly battled back by getting to the line and hitting shots. A 14-2 run from New York threw the Grizzlies into a 6-point hole midway through the first. More injury woes would plague the Grizzlies as Jake LaRavia sustained a left ankle injury on a drive just minutes after entering the game for the first time. After hitting both of his free throws, he went back to the locker room and would not return. The Vince Williams Jr show brought the Grizzlies back into the game with about 3 minutes to go – he made a three-pointer followed by a layup off an offensive rebound to bring the Knicks’ lead down to just one. A 3-point shot from GG Jackson gave the Grizzlies back control of the game in the final two minutes. After the first period, the Grizzlies were on top by two points, 27-25.

Second Quarter

The Knicks roared back with an opening three to take the lead as the second quarter kicked off. It was a lot of back-and-forth with multiple back-to-back threes from both teams in the first few minutes of the period. Lack of ball security was the story, as untimely turnovers from the Grizzlies prevented them from creating any separation, allowing the Knicks to capitalize in transition. Memphis found themselves trailing by five points in the middle of the second quarter. After a short scoring drought from both squads, an offensive rebound from Xavier Tillman led to a Luke Kennard three to give him his first field goal of the night, shortening the deficit to just two with about five minutes to go. Another three-point basket shortly after gave the Grizzlies the lead by a single point momentarily, but New York would quickly respond with a perimeter shot on the other end. Yet again, Kennard responded with another triple to tie the game up. A strip steal led to a fastbreak layup in transition for Kennard to give the Grizzlies a two-point lead, followed by another transition basket. Despite this, the Knicks would not go away and continued to hit shots to keep the game an extremely tight affair. But, the Grizzlies maintained momentum thanks to big plays from Luke Kennard and GG Jackson to hold onto a four-point lead at halftime, 57-53. 

Third Quarter

The beginning of the third quarter brought more of the same as both teams continued to battle back and forth. The Knicks brought themselves back on top about four minutes in off a 7-0 run after the Grizzlies missed a few looks; Memphis was able to cut into the lead with a quick finish by Luke Kennard. New York began to pound the ball inside more and get themselves to the free throw line to extend their lead, but the Grizzlies started to pick things up with about 5 minutes to go and a late-clock jumper from GG Jackson followed by a fastbreak layup from Xavier Tillman off a dish from Vince Williams Jr dwindled the Knicks’ lead down to just two. But then, the Grizzlies began to get careless with the basketball and play right into New York’s hands, allowing the Knicks to increase their lead to double digits in the closing minutes. The Knicks outscored the Grizzlies 30-15 in the third and held an 11-point lead over Memphis, 72-83. 

Fourth Quarter

While the Grizzlies kept pressure defensively in the fourth quarter, they could not string together success on the offensive end. Memphis’ lack of size also came to the forefront as the Knicks demoralized the Grizzlies on the glass. Memphis battled in an attempt to get back into the game – they came within single digits with under two minutes to go – but they simply could not stop New York from scoring on the other end. That was all she wrote as the Grizzlies came up short, 96-104.