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GRIZZLIES OUTLAST KNICKS IN OT

It was valiant. It was guts. It wasn’t good enough. Certainly not the first half and not in overtime.

The Knicks had chances to overcome a 19-point deficit, opportunities late in regulation and overtime to overcome Ja Morant and the Grizzlies. When the game was there for the taking, the big play eluded them at both ends of the floor.

Julius Randle fouling out early in the extra session proved crucial, as did RJ Barrett’s ugly 3-of-18 shooting performance. Jalen Brunson missed all three of his shot attempts in overtime. The result was a frustrating 115-112 overtime loss to the shorthanded Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum.

Tyus Jones’ tie-breaking 3-pointer with 47.7 seconds provided the deciding margin, as the Knicks missed their final four shots including Evan Fournier’s 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Brunson’s layup gave the Knicks their first lead since the early going with 3:32 left in regulation, only for Memphis to respond by converting on five straight possessions. The Grizzlies went up four on Morant’s three-point play following a Steven Adams tip back.

The Knicks got within one on an Isaiah Hartenstein three-point play with 28.9 seconds left, but Morant answered with a left-handed drive. Brunson then set up a game-tying Cam Reddish left-corner 3-pointer and drew a charge in the lane on Morant with 0.5 seconds to go, forcing overtime.

After a slow start, Brunson performed well — finishing with 17 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Hartenstein added 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Randle notched 24 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Perhaps the biggest surprise was Cam Reddish’s 22-point showing. Morant led all scorers with 34 points and nine assists.

The Knicks got themselves back into the game on the strength of a good third quarter. The offense functioned its best in the stanza, and the defense slowed down the Grizzlies. After Mitchell Robinson picked up his fourth foul early in the quarter and the Knicks down 18, the ball-moving, rim-protecting, court-spacing Hartenstein spurred a comeback as they outscored Memphis by 12 over the final 10 minutes of the period.

Randle’s left-wing 3-pointer made it a three-point game, and the large crowd was hushed.

As the Knicks’ offense faded upon the return of the starters, settling for too many jumpers and missing seven of eight shots at one point, Memphis ripped off a 12-2 run. Morant sank a pair of 3-pointers in the burst and closed it with a behind-the-back feed in transition to Brandon Clarke that extended the Grizzlies lead to 14.

Barrett saw large chunks of Morant, and could do little to slow him down. The Knicks tried Brunson on him, and he got into foul trouble. The other potential option, Quentin Grimes, was inactive due to a lingering left foot injury.

When the Knicks went underneath the screen, Morant hit from a distance. When they played up on, he went right by them and created chaos in the paint, leading to open 3-pointers for his teammates. He forced defensive breakdowns on his own.

-Zach Braziller from the New York Post

ZION, INGRAM SHINE IN STATEMENT

Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram combined for 53 points and the New Orleans Pelicans blew out the Brooklyn Nets 130-108.

It was a particularly promising performance from Williamson, who was at his best with 25 points, nine rebounds and four steals in a return from an injury-ravaged season.

Ben Simmons meanwhile had a forgetful Nets debut, registering four points and fouling out in 23 minutes, while Kyrie Irving was also quiet with 15 points.

Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant poured in a game-high 32 points, but not enough of his teammates were up for the fight.

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