The New York Knicks fell to the Memphis Grizzlies. Injuries and fatigue caused New York to lose to the second-best team in the NBA.
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The Knicks lost a see-saw battle with the Memphis Grizzles, 114 to 118. It was a battle of star players, with Julius Randle and Ja Morant leading their respective teams. The game saw more than 20 lead changes, but the Grizzlies’ bench made the difference.
New York came into the game depleted and saw multiple players in foul trouble thanks to Morant. That meant the Knicks’ starters logged heavy minutes en route to a comfortable third-quarter lead. But by the fourth, New York was running on fumes while Morant powered Memphis to a comeback.
The good news is that New York played well again. They faced a team with the second-best record in the NBA, and the game came down to the wire. I wonder if the result would have been different if this wasn’t the last game of a long road trip. So let’s take a look at the individual performances that nearly stole a game from an elite opponent on the road.
A strong game from Randle but the Knicks starters fade late
Alec Burks: 18 PTS (6/11 FG, 2/5 3PT, 4/5 FT), 5 AST, 6 REB, 1 STL in 35 mins
Alec Burks continued his quality play but missed his two biggest shots of the night. If you’ve been watching recent games, you’ll be familiar with this performance. Burks scored off kick-outs, whether shooting or driving.
Unfortunately, he shot 2/7 in a collapsing fourth quarter, including a forced attempt inside with the Knicks up by 1 and 3 minutes left. He missed from three shortly after, with the Knicks down by three. The game would never be close enough to tie again.
On the bright side, Burks’ performance was strong through three quarters. His scoring has granted him enough gravity to free up rim runners, and he’s begun to stack up assists. This was a solid night marred by two misses when the entire team looked fatigued. Nevertheless, Burks is on the rise, regardless of the mistakes at clutch-time. He receives a 3 out of 5 for his impact on the close game.
Evan Fournier: 12 PTS (3/8 FG, 3/7 3PT, 3/3 FT), 4 AST, 4 REB, 2 TO in 29 mins
Evan Fournier was relegated to fourth-option again, but he saw more opportunities than last game. His field goal attempts were nearly all relegated to three-point attempts. Some of those shots came off stepbacks and side-steps just to create space. He still managed to make his jumpers at a good clip and hit some momentum-changing shots, though.
Fournier’s passing was the true highlight of this game. He had a pretty cross-court dime to Alec Burks on the baseline in the first half. He also got back to driving past closeouts and fed Mitch a lob from one of these efforts. I complained last game because he only put up points, and I’ll give him his credit for four assists and four rebounds this time out.
I know that fans might argue the production doesn’t match the contract. But Fournier made the most of the touches he got. He sat (likely for defensive purposes) during the fourth quarter struggles, which means he had by far the best +/- on the team. Outside of an ugly third-quarter turnover, Fournier had himself a good night in an off-ball role. He picks up a 2.5 out of 5 for his performance.
RJ Barrett: 23 PTS (9/25 FG, 1/6 3PT, 4/7 FT), 2 AST, 7 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 40 mins
The Grizzlies never let RJ Barrett have anything easy. They’re an elite shot-blocking team that hampered Barrett’s success at the rim. He might have made things easier for himself had his three-pointers landed. But with RJ’s jumper missing, his offense became an uphill battle.
Barrett powered himself to strong second and third quarters by sheer force of will. He finished through contact and had some nice plays in transition, including a dime to Randle. But by the fourth quarter, his tired legs meant Jaren Jackson blocks at the rim. The Grizzlies were swarming the paint, and Barrett forced shots instead of looking for the open man.
Barrett contributed on the glass, but not much else in terms of secondary production. He seemed frustrated with a lack of calls from the refs, which may have led him to have tunnel vision on trips inside. His stat-line looks much more robust if he replaces a couple of missed field goals with assists to cutters or shooters. Instead, Barrett gets a 2/5 for an inefficient night.
Julius Randle: 36 PTS (11/27 FG, 3/6 3PT, 11/13 FT), 6 AST, 12 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 4 TO in 40 mins
Julius Randle gave us a perfect reminder of what his All-NBA season entailed last season. He knocked down jumpers, drew a ridiculous number of fouls, and managed to beat up his defenders on the way inside. Randle was bully ball personified, a battering ram that left Jaren Jackson doubled over on multiple occasions. Essentially, Julius Randle carried the offense whenever the team cooled down or needed a boost.
But scoring is never the issue for Randle. What set his performance apart more than his 36 points was his energy. He sprinted in transition and got back on defense. He repeatedly met players at the rim, sometimes for blocks and others for fouls. His passing was as crisp as ever, and his rebounding was a step above even his typical nights.
Julius Randle was a force in this game. He went bucket for bucket with Ja Morant, who is likely to finish top-five in MVP voting this season. But what brings Randle’s performance to another level is that he was locked in on defense. The one blemish for Randle is that he still picked up some ugly turnovers, particularly trying to squeeze passes to Robinson after driving too deep into traffic. We can live with those when Randle excels at so many other aspects of the game. Randle gets a 4.5 out of 5 for a star-level performance.
Mitchell Robinson: 10 PTS (5/8 FG, 0/2 FT), 4 AST, 16 REB, 3 STL, 4 BLK, 3 TO in 34 mins
Mitchell Robinson was a force for yet another night. He started the game off by battling with Steven Adams on the boards and having surprising success. Adams won his fair share of second chances, but Robinson had put-backs and kick-out assists to outpace his opponent. When Adams left the game hurt, Mitch remained to feast whenever he wasn’t in foul trouble.
New York’s shot blocker continues to impose his will on opposing teams. He grabbed 16 rebounds against an elite defense with plenty of size. In addition, Mitch earned his seven stocks (steals and blocks) through heavy effort despite foul trouble in the second half.
Ironically, my favorite moment of the night for Mitch was a pass. He picked up a dime by running a give and go with Julius Randle. It was nice because Robinson received the ball further from the basket than usual and completed a play he rarely gets a chance to make. Robinson dominates at all the things he’s good at, but he has room to expand his game for even more impacts. Mitch picks up a 3 out of 5 for this performance.
Not much help from New York’s second unit
Immanuel Quickley: 11 PTS (3/8 FG, 1/1 3PT, 4/5 FT), 2 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL, 3 TO in 31 mins
Immanuel Quickley is another Knick on an upward trajectory. This performance didn’t quite live up to the rest of his road trip, but that doesn’t mean he was terrible. Instead, Quickley attacked a tough defense through constant pressure, which led to points, free throws, and more turnovers than we’re accustomed to.
I could overlook the turnovers, but IQ’s game was missing its playmaking edge. He had trouble getting separation from Memphis’ better defenders. That left him with fewer openings to pick apart the D with passing. I wouldn’t say they defanged him, but his game had less bite than usual.
Considering the opponent and game, this is still a promising performance. Quickley scored efficiently and attacked the defense. He may not have had his usual success, but he was the only offensive help off New York’s bench. As a result, Quickley gets a 2 out of 5 for a solid night off the bench.
Miles McBride: 0/1 FG in 11 mins
This was Miles McBride’s most challenging game since entering the rotation because he ran into a well-oiled machine of an offense. Bigger-bodied Grizzlies players were able to push him for deep positioning. He still challenged every shot, but often that deep position meant the defense didn’t matter. McBride wound up benched after Ja Morant took him to the basket and flexed after.
On top of that, Deuce hasn’t found his offensive footing in the pros, which has limited his impact. Yet, that is the growing pains of an NBA rookie. Deuce came in well under the fifteen-minute threshold, but this game should be a good learning experience.
Taj Gibson: 4 PTS (1/2 FG, 2/2 FT), 2 REB in 15 mins
Taj Gibson managed to foul out in just fifteen minutes. It’s hard to stand out when you’re in constant foul trouble. Taj did a few things in the middle but never had enough time to piece together sequences of impact.
Instead, we were mostly treated to whistles on soft contact to ball-handlers. Gibson wasn’t innocent, but he wasn’t giving much more contact than RJ Barrett received on every trip inside. That’s the difference for an established star like Morant on home court and an up-and-comer on the road. Unfortunately, Taj Gibson was the victim of those phantom whistles and star calls.
The problem for Taj is that he picked a terrible time to lose his veteran edge. The Knicks’ bench is depleted and hurt. The starters clearly showed fatigue by the end of this gritty battle. Gibson could have bought just a few more minutes for Randle or Mitchell Robinson. But his quick fouls took away that opportunity. Gibson gets a 1 out of 5 for his inability to avoid fouls.
Jericho Sims: 3 REB, 2 TO in 6 mins
Jericho Sims got in thanks to foul trouble for Taj Gibson and Mitchell Robinson. He grabbed his share of rebounds in the few minutes that he got. But offensive fouls on screens marred Sims’ time on the floor. He also failed to stop Memphis guards from hitting floaters in the lane. His six minutes are similar to McBride’s, a struggle but a learning experience.
Limited options and foul trouble leave Tom Thibodeau in a bind
Tom Thibodeau:
It’s hard to blame Tom Thibodeau for anything that went wrong in this game. His entire team showed up and fought hard. The minutes’ distribution left a load on the shoulders of his first six players, but he didn’t have other options because the rookies struggled, Taj Gibson fouled out, and everyone else was injured.
There weren’t many adjustments that I saw Thibodeau miss either. When Morant started to go off, he sent double-teams. If you watch the fourth-quarter back, you can audibly hear Thibodeau screaming for doubles and traps on the MVP candidate. But he couldn’t do much for his tired team.
The Knicks were running on fumes. This was their fifth game out West in just about a week. Players were missing with injuries, and more spent this game in foul trouble. The fact that New York fought and nearly stole this victory is a testament to a team that’s finally buying in and gelling. Thibodeau picks up a 3 out of 5 for keeping the team fighting.
Closing Thoughts
This game feels like the perfect symbol for my concerns about this season. The Knicks struggled early, then made a big run only to come up short at the end. I know that the play-in game is close, and I’m not opposed to chasing it. But it’s hard for me to imagine New York making up 4.5 games with just 15 left in total.
That doesn’t mean New York should chase losses or that we should check out as fans. The Knicks have been playing their best basketball since the start of the season because of the emergence of RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Mitchell Robinson. Their run has also included appearances from Miles McBride and Jericho Sims. Cam Reddish was a big part of this recent success, but unfortunately, his season is over.
In addition to the youth showing out, Julius Randle has returned to last season’s form. Also, the players under contract beyond this season have shown us that they can compete and are giving us a window into what positions should be addressed this offseason. But, more importantly, they’re giving us some of the best basketball that we’ve seen all season.
The Brooklyn Nets are next for a dreaded matinee game. They’re probably out of reach in the standings, but it’s still Brooklyn, so of course I want this win. I don’t care about lottery position when it comes to the hometown rivals. There’s a play-in chase, youth to watch, and a rivalry to enjoy. I’ll see you after Brooklyn, Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the 2021-22 NBA season. And in case you missed it, make sure to check out CP’s response to Kendra Randle’s jabs at KFTV.
