After the Knicks went through most of the first three quarters on Friday, the Knicks woke up and forced overtime before overtaking the Memphis Grizzlies, 133-129, behind a bank outburst, combined with courageous clutch performances from Julius Randle and RJ Barrett.
The victory comes as a pleasant surprise. The Knicks trailed all night and were ice cold (1-5 in their previous six games), while the Grizzlies were on fire (5-1 in their previous six games). Randle and Barrett barely registered on the radar until late, but both ended the evening as heroes. The second unit, led by Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley and Alec Burks, accounted for approximately 54% of New York’s offensive production (the bank scored 72 total points, including 20 from Quickley and 19 from Rose and Burks).
“We’ve played our butt the last few games … today we could get this one”
RJ Barrett talks about the Knicks’ ability to win tonight pic.twitter.com/TnykFWDWhl
– Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) 10 April 2021
The Knicks really played their game against the Grizzlies. They play their legs all season. With the win, the Knicks are 26-27 on the year and eighth in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of the Indiana Pacers. The playoffs remain a real possibility. Most importantly, RJ Barrett has dominated all along and defeated the player who picked one spot ahead of him in the 2019 NBA draft, Ja Morant.
One might be forgiven for deciding after the first quarter that it would be best not to watch the Knicks all Friday night, so they turned off the television and sat for hours on their phone and stared until they were up. the couch fell asleep. and then wake up in panic because they were not in their bed, before realizing where they were and laughing to themselves because they were so silly.
The Knicks shot 37% off the field in the first time, had 5 turnovers and did not achieve much on the defensive point, which enabled the Grizzlies to score 35 points on 54% shooting, including 3-5 out of three. The first five were faint, and Randle refused to score (he only took shots during the period).
Fortunately, the Knicks have a former MVP who plays a backup point guard and can still carry the burden. If D-Rose had scored 9 points from the bench no less than nine minutes from the bench, the Knicks might have found themselves 20 or more after the first time. Instead, the deficit was 12.
The bench slightly confirmed the ship in second place, though the Knicks dragged on and were not really ahead. Memphis still hit 5 of 9 tries, but New York got contributions from every side; all 10 Knicks who played in the second quarter scored at least one point, led by everyone’s favorite backcourt duo, Quickley (7 points on 3-3 shooting) and Rose (4 points, 2 assistants).
The Knicks were 9-5 down at halftime. However, it felt like the Grizzlies were in control, and Randle and Barrett combined just 6 points off the field at 1-8.
The third quarter was much like the second, in that the Knicks did not play very poorly, but they could not quite make a dive. This time, nine Knicks scored instead of 10 (only Alec Burks did not get on the board). IQ and Rose were again one of the guys to get buckets (6 and 4 points each, respectively), and Elfrid Payton had a neat piece in an otherwise memorable effort, shooting 7 points at 3-5.
However, the Grizzlies continued to get 14 points from Morant, which looked like a harbinger after the second overall pick in 2019 struggled in the first half with just 6 points. But just before you could officially count out New York, Quickley buried a big try to reduce the deficit to below double digits.
In the fourth – and then presumably last – period, the Knicks fell by seven, 90-83. The Grizzlies spent their lead in the early part of the fourth building, reaching a staggering 15 at one point. With less than five minutes of play, Memphis’s lead was 10, and a block from RJ Barrett of Ja Morant threatened to turn tonight’s dreams into nightmares.
That’s when Barrett and Randle wake up, a dormant giant ready to step into the city. RJ scored five straight points, and then a Randle bucket cut the lead to six with 3:40 ahead.
Not long after, Randle boasts of a one-on-one that brings the Knicks within three.
RJ went on to make a foul on a corner three and drop every free throw, tying the game with 37 seconds left. After Morant hit one of the two free throws on the other side, Tom Thibodeau called time-out. The Knicks, 113-112 with 26.1 ahead, had a chance to take their first lead as the score was 3-1. Walt Clyde Frazier noted that New York was “on the threshold of glory or purgatory.”
Randle received the ball and turned in the lane, turning too many times before going up and missing a bunny. Taj Gibson failed by grabbing Jonas Valanciunas, who hit the first free throw.
Then it happened:
Barrett’s heroic deeds sent the game to overtime. The Knicks have only played one overtime game this season and lost by one against the 76ers. This one will end on a happier note, thanks to 9 points in the extra period from Burks, plus great plays from RJ and Randle.
A try by Julius Randle gave the Knicks their first lead since the first quarter, and the teams exchanged a minute or two baskets before Barrett improved the Knicks forever by tapping a try to give New York a lead of 127-124.
In the end, the Knicks got this game right out of the Grizzlies’ dirty legs and won 133-129. It felt good.
Notes:
> Randle came off slightly for most of the night, but he finished with his fifth triple-double of the season (15 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds). All five doubles have taken place in the last 14 games, and he is just three behind the franchise frontrunner in the triple doubles for a season, Walt Clyde Frazier, who has scored the point by eight.
> Late overtime, Julius Randle provoked Valanciunas to a major track violation with a slight jerk that caused the Memphis center to jump into the track too early. It was like a linebacker playing his defender offside. Smart stuff from Julius.
> The crowd rained eagerly on Grayson Allen as he threw out, serving as a reminder of one of the most important aspects of live sports missed during the pandemic: evil.
> Frank Ntilikina observation! The Frenchman had to play the last 4.6 seconds overtime. With him on the field, the Knicks won the game. Coincidence?
Man, what a turnaround this night turns out to be. Excitement. Big win. Much needed. As Jesus and Ham on Rye exclaimed: “MORE LIKE STAR J BARRETT”
The Knicks will try to keep it up against the Raptors on Sunday. Happy weekend to you!