Knicks take opener to OT, but Ja Morant leads Grizzlies to victory
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) dribbles the ball while defended by Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn. Credit: AP/Nikki Boertman
MEMPHIS — As the Knicks took the court for warmups Wednesday night they found the FedEx Forum adorned with T-shirts on every seat and if they turned on the television in their hotel earlier they could have watched Ja Morant playing the starring role, talking about the Memphis Grizzlies approach in the wake of last year’s 56-win season and his own aspirations — to become the Most Valuable Player in the NBA.
There was little once the game began to dissuade that notion as Morant dominated in every aspect, carrying a shorthanded squad on his slender shoulders. Even if they knew it was coming the Knicks could do little to slow him down as he piled up 34 points and nine assists, handing the Knicks a heartbreaking 115-112 opening night overtime loss.
If the Knicks didn’t have a star to match Morant, they did have the fight. Trailing by 19 in the third quarter, they fought all the way back and tied it with just seconds remaining. In the final second of regulation, Jalen Brunson put himself in the way of Morant as the high-flying guard soared to the rim, flipping in what appeared to be a game-winning shot. But Morant was called for an offensive foul, sending the game to overtime.
In the first minute of the extra session Julius Randle fouled out and then Morant soared to swallow a Brunson fast break layup, feeding Brandon Clarke for a dunk on the other end. Morant then found Tyus Jones for a tie-breaking three with 47.8 seconds left and then dribbled around the frantic Knicks defense as the clock wound down until he found Jones who was fouled with 4.7 seconds to play. But Jones misfired on both free throws, giving the Knicks one more chance.
This time Evan Fournier’s last-second three-pointer bounced off the rim and game was finally over.
“We just kept fighting,” said Brunson, who overcame early foul trouble to finish with 15 points, nine assists and six rebounds. “We kept chipping away, chipping away. We can’t lay down when we’re getting beat like that. How are you going to respond? We responded well. It’s a sign of a team that wants to fight. So just start the game hungry, start the game that way and kind of have that mindset the full 48.”
That 48th-minute charge that Brunson took impressed his coach as much as anything that appeared in the boxscore.
“That was a great play,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “That’s who he is. Giving his body up for the team. To me, that’s the definition of a playmaker. We all think the playmaker makes a pass. But a playmaker at the end of the game that takes a charge, gets a steal, makes the pass. Whatever the game needs, he gives it. I think he’s the ultimate playmaker.”
“I mean, him running full speed, I don’t even know,” Brunson said. “I’m just reacting. He almost avoided it, but I got in position and was able to get that call. I don’t even know. I just kind of reacted.”
With the game placed on national television, it might have felt a little like a sacrificial lamb role for the Knicks. But for a Thibodeau coached team on opening night, you could be certain that if they didn’t have the star attraction they were not going to concede and play a secondary role.
The Grizzlies entered this game with issues of their own, missing Jaren Jackson Jr., Danny Green, Ziaire Williams and adding Dillon Brooks to the sidelined players before the game, piecing together a lineup with little-used pieces and rookies. But they had Morant and that meant that they were going to be the team with the eyes on them.
For the Knicks, it was an odd cast of contributors, too. RJ Barrett, selected one spot behind Morant in the 2019 NBA Draft, struggled much of the night, unable to contain Morant on defense and shooting just 3-for-18 in the game. But Cam Reddish, inserted into the rotation when Quentin Grimes couldn’t go, came off the bench and provided an offensive boost, scoring 22 points and delivering the biggest shot for the Knicks, tying the score with three seconds left in regulation, draining a corner three on a feed from Brunson. Isaiah Hartenstein added 16 points and eight rebounds in 40 minutes with Mitchell Robinson limited by foul trouble all night.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
