The Knicks defeated the Memphis Grizzlies last night by a score of 118-104 in Memphis last night, and the Knicks have picked up their 37th win, meaning they can not fall under .500 for the first time in eight years. With the shortened 72 game season we could lose the rest of the games we have and we’d still be above .500, and that’s something I never would’ve expected. The Knicks are still fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, improving to 37-28 on the season, bumping the Grizzlies to .500 with a now 32-32 record. The Knicks stopped a late run by the Grizzlies, proving they can finally close out games, something they’ve been less than spectacular at this season. If the Knicks can finish out these last seven games it’s possible we could finish with the fourth seed, and playoff basketball in Madison Square Garden is back! Five teams are officially in the playoffs, two in the East and three in the West. The teams who have clinched a playoff birth include the 76ers, Nets, Jazz, Suns and Clippers, and in the next two weeks I expect the Knicks to be in that category as well.
The Knicks played yet another beautiful game of basketball last night. RJ Barrett scored fifteen points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists in thirty-four minutes of play, having a below average but still good game by RJ. Immanuel Quickley had another efficient game, scoring eight points in sixteen minutes. Reggie Bullock and Elfrid Payton both had good games, both scoring in double digits, something I did not think I would say. Julius Randle had a signature performance, scoring a game high twenty-eight points as well as six rebounds and six assists in thirty-eight minutes of play. The MVP of the game for the Knicks is surprisingly Derrick Rose, and on his tenth anniversary of becoming the youngest MVP in NBA history. In twenty-seven minutes our sixth man kept up his hot streak, scoring twenty-five points, as well as icing the game against the Grizzlies. The Knicks once again had a 50%+ shooting night from three, something I am over the moon about. We increased on the number of rebounds grabbed in comparison to the other night, and I don’t have a problem with any facet of this win, I have a good feeling about the end of the season for this Knicks team.
On the Grizzlies side of the ball, some things went well, some things went horrendous. Kyle Anderson had thirteen points in thirty-two minutes, outscoring teammate Ja Morant for the first time in their careers playing together. The emphasis of the stat sheet for the Grizzlies was the dud of a game Ja Morant had, proving maybe RJ Barrett is better than him. Ja Morant played thirty-eight minutes, grabbing five rebounds, dishing out six assists, and scoring eight points. Eight points as the leader of your team will never get it done, especially not against a hot Knicks team. Besides the Ja Morant slander, Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane combined for forty-seven points, the only thing that kept them in this game.
The Knicks winning ways are officially back, and the Garden will be rocking come playoff time. Hope you enjoyed reading, our next game is against the Denver Nuggets tomorrow at 9 PM EST in Denver, read my other articles about Knicks games and more, Shaney out.
TheDyspatch 