The Knicks extended their winning streak to four games on Monday night, humiliating the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies, 143-106, at Madison Square Garden.
Here are the takeaways…
— While both teams entered Monday ranked top-five in scoring, they found their offensive rhythms during different stretches of the first quarter. It was the Knicks that started the night strong, taking advantage of missed shots and careless turnovers from the Grizzlies. By the midway point, New York’s lead jumped to 13 points, which forced Memphis to burn a timeout.
— The break in action was useful to the Grizzlies, however — they built momentum by attacking the paint, and managed to cut their deficit to only three after 12 minutes of play. But the Knicks applied enough pressure on defense to force the Grizzlies into committing six first-quarter turnovers.
— Tom Thibodeau expanded the first-half rotation to nine for a fourth straight game, and the decision paid off. Precious Achiuwa and Miles McBride combined for 17 points off the bench, and Mikal Bridges was the only starter to reach double-digit points (14) in the first half. The depth was ultimately required, too, as Jalen Brunson committed four first-half fouls for the first time in his career.
— A top pregame storyline was Memphis’ propensity for mistakes, as they entered The Garden with the second-most turnovers in the league. New York continued to exploit that vulnerability in the second quarter, forcing another eight turnovers to bump their point total to 21 off of those miscues. The Knicks also held Grizzlies stars Ja Morant and Desmond Bane to 18 combined points. At the half, New York led 60-52.
— If the Grizzlies strategized a way to clean up their mistakes at halftime, they didn’t employ that plan in the third quarter. They committed another five turnovers and watched the Knicks increase their lead to a whopping 27 points at the 3:20 mark. The difference in effort between the teams was glaring, and New York went a two-minute stretch with 13 unanswered points. After three, they led by 18.
— The Knicks opened the fourth quarter with four reserves in, and the move from Thibodeau didn’t alter the pace or shift the momentum. The bench guys produced their own collection of highlight-reel plays, extending the lead to a staggering 34 points with less than four minutes left. The Grizzlies waved the white flag in the closing minutes, and The Garden crowd erupted.
— Karl-Anthony Towns wasn’t much of scoring threat in the first half, but it didn’t take long for him to wake up in the second half. He scored 16 points with seven rebounds in the third quarter, which helped ease any concerns about his injured right thumb. He finished the game with 24 points and 11 boards in only 33 minutes of work.
— Josh Hart, who posted his sixth-triple double of the season on Saturday, wasn’t a scorer against the Grizzlies. He shot just 2-of-6 for four points in 27 minutes. But the Knicks’ safety valve still delivered as a facilitator and glass attacker — he posted 10 boards and five assists. Brunson finished with a standard 20 points and didn’t commit a single second-half foul. OG Anunoby also logged six steals.
— Overall, the Grizzlies committed 26 turnovers that led to 36 points, and the Knicks excelled in containing Morant, who scored a measly 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Memphis didn’t play like a team that entered Monday on a six-game winning streak.
— New York scored 140-plus points for a second straight game, and the last time they accomplished this feat was back in December 1965. They also received a season-high 52 points from the bench, and three reserves (Achiuwa, McBride, Cameron Payne) logged double-digit points. By sharing the wealth, the Knicks improved to 18-1 this season with 30-plus assists.
Game MVP: Mikal Bridges
Bridges led the Knicks’ offense with 28 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals in 34 minutes. He’s now scored 20-plus in four of the last six games.
Highlights
What’s next
The Knicks (31-16) will ride the momentum and continue their five-game homestand on Wednesday night, with a marquee matchup against the Denver Nuggets (7:30 tip-off).
