Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. Lead Grizzlies to Win vs. Julius Randle, Knicks
Jaren Jackson Jr. posted a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 120-108 road win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant added 23 points, nine assists and three steals for Memphis, which never trailed after the opening minute and led by as many as 19. Ziaire Williams posted 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting, and center Steven Adams led the Grizz with 13 boards.
The Knicks made it close in the fourth quarter when Immanuel Quickley scored seven points in 22 seconds to cap an 11-0 run and cut the Grizzlies' lead to 95-90 with 9:05 remaining.
However, the Grizzlies responded with nine straight points for a 104-90 edge. The Knicks cut the lead to six on two separate occasions down the stretch but could not come any closer.
For the Knicks, Evan Fournier led the way with 30 points, making eight of 12 three-pointers along the way.
RJ Barrett added 23 points, Julius Randle fell one assist short of a triple-double and Mitchell Robinson fell two blocks shy of one after a 14-point, 11-rebound, eight-block night that put him in some great company:
The 36-18 Grizzlies have now won four of their last five games. The 24-28 Knicks have lost seven of their last nine.
Notable Performances
Grizzlies PF Jaren Jackson Jr.: 26 points, 10 rebounds
Grizzlies PG Ja Morant: 23 points, 9 assists, 3 steals
Grizzlies SF Ziaire Williams: 21 points
Grizzlies C Steven Adams: 13 rebounds
Knicks SG Evan Fournier: 30 points, 5 rebounds
Knicks G/F RJ Barrett: 23 points
Knicks PF Julius Randle: 18 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists
Knicks C Mitchell Robinson: 14 points, 11 rebounds, 8 blocks
Grizzlies' Fantastic Roster Shines Again
The NBA MVP award is up for clear debate this year, with some great candidates such as Morant, the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid, the Phoenix Suns' Chris Paul and the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry.
One postseason award that needs zero thought, however, is the Executive of the Year award. That should go to Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman, who has assembled a deep, young roster that very well could win the NBA Finals.
For starters, rookie Ziaire Williams missed only two field-goal attempts en route to his 21 points.
It was a great effort after he missed a three-pointer that would have given the Grizzlies a 122-120 overtime lead with seven seconds remaining in their game against the 76ers on Monday, but his shot did not connect, and Memphis ended up losing by three.
The rookie immediately and impressively shook that shot off by dominating the Knicks.
Jackson continued to be a menace on both ends, leading the team in scoring and rebounding and showcasing why he should receive some Defensive Player of the Year looks.
Sometimes, he's unguardable. He appears just as likely to hit a three as he is to throw a slam dunk on someone's face.
Morant is a well-deserved MVP candidate, and he once again showed why Wednesday. Yes, he shot just 9-of-27, but he played tough defense (three steals) and finished with a game-high plus-13 rating.
The fact that he was able to positively affect the game despite a bad off-night shooting shows just how special he is. He's an electric and entertaining player whose leadership skills are becoming readily apparent:
Elsewhere, Adams did the dirty work on the boards, Desmond Bane filled the stat sheet (seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks) despite scoring 13 points on 4-of-18 shooting and De'Anthony Melton (14) and Brandon Clarke (10) combined for 24 points despite playing just 18 minutes apiece.
This team is going to be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time, and right now, the Grizz are showing why.
Knicks' Free Fall Continues
The Knicks' chances of finishing strong following a slow start to the season a la last year appear bleaker by the day.
New York has now fallen to 24-28 in the Eastern Conference standings, bad enough for 12th overall and two spots behind the final play-in tournament position.
Any hope of a deep playoff run seems all but lost at this juncture, especially with the top nine of the East separating themselves from the rest of a losing pack.
To make matters worse, the Knicks entered the Grizzlies' game with the third-toughest remaining schedule in the league. They also have four more road than home games down the stretch.
The Knicks were 23rd in offensive rating last year, and that's where they sat this year, per Basketball Reference. Missing an injured Derrick Rose hurts, as does Randle's struggles this season.
However, the big difference is a dip on the defensive end, where New York now sits 11th as opposed to third the year prior.
Outside Robinson throwing a block party, the defense struggled against the deep Memphis roster.
Six Grizzlies scored 10 or more points. Memphis dropped 120 on the Knicks in the Garden despite Morant and Bane combining to shoot just 13-of-45. The Grizzlies also had a 30-9 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Any chance the Knicks have of salvaging this season and somehow sneaking into the playoffs needs to start on the defensive end. The Knicks' offensive struggles are what they are at this point, but the defensive effort is sometimes lacking. That needs to improve quickly with the All-Star break nearing.
What's Next?
Both teams will play on the road Saturday.
The Grizzlies will visit the Orlando Magic at 5 p.m. ET in Amway Center, and the Knicks will take on the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena at 8:30 p.m. ET.
