The New York Knicks made a game of it, but ultimately couldn’t catch enough breaks (and cover enough open three-point shooters) to come away with the win.
This game was weird. The Knicks did a phenomenal job of containing Ja Morant (23 points on 9-27 shooting), thanks to the work of RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes and a fantastic game from Mitchell Robinson. Desmond Bane (13 points on 4-18 shooting) also didn’t offer much. But the Grizzlies got outlier three-point shooting from the likes of Jaren Jackson Jr. (4-7), De’Anthony Melton (4-6) and Ziaire Williams (3-5). It seemed like the Knicks missed every tipped ball, which inevitably rolled straight into the hands of an open Memphis shooter.