Written by William Lee

Memphis entered Saturday matinee game against New York on a five game losing streak. New York though plays terrible on matinee games, 0-2 this season in early afternoon games, losing by a combined 72 points! With rumors that Knicks’ players were out partying the nights before those early afternoon games, Mike Woodson played babysitter Friday night, keeping his Knicks team in a hotel. The curfew didn’t help the Knicks, as Memphis got off to a fast start, jumping out to an 8-2 lead, extending this to 17-8 by the 4:24 mark in the first quarter. The Knicks went on a 10-2 run, cutting the deficit to one, 19-18 with a little over two minutes remaining. Carmelo Anthony was in double figures scoring in the first quarter alone, finishing the game with 30 points overall.

New York would go on an 8-0 run bridging from the first quarter to the second quarter. The run was capped off by a Carmelo Anthony steal that lead to a Tim Hardaway Jr. furious fast break dunk, to take a 28-25 lead with 9:16 left in the quarter. Hardaway Jr. provided a spark off the bench, playing 30 minutes scoring 16 points, he was favored over the struggling starting guard Iman Shumpert. The Grizzles played great defense to end the first half, New York converted on only one field goal in the last six minute of the second quarter. The defense led to an 8-2 Grizzles run, to end the first half with a ten point lead 50-40. Madison Square Garden was not happy with the Knicks’ matinee effort, booing the Knicks off the court as the players entered the locker room for intermission. The game was played at Memphis’ pace, a slow grind it out game, the Grizzles beat the Knicks on all the hustle stats in the first half. This trend would continue for Memphis in the second half, helping the Grizzles to a 95-87 victory, to snap their losing streak. Continue reading →