Grizzlies collapse in overtime loss to Knicks
The Grizzlies' offense carried them on this road trip thanks to their 3-point shooting. But their defense let them down in New York against the Knicks on Friday night.
A 10-point lead with 4:36 left slipped away with missed free throws and the Knicks chipping away. Ja Morant's potential game-winning shot for the Grizzlies rimmed out to end regulation
The Knicks kept their rally going in overtime and the Grizzlies couldn't get the stops they found earlier. A 133-129 loss at Madison Square Garden was a bitter end to a 3-1 road trip.
The Grizzlies (26-24) saw their four game winning streak end but they could only blame themselves letting a game slip away they controlled most of the way.
Free throws make the difference
The Grizzlies missed 13 free throws while the Knicks (26-27) made 29 of 33. Blame poor defense to end regulation and in overtime but the Grizzlies left the door open for a Knicks rally.
Morant connected with Jonas Valanciunas for a dunk with 1:05 left to put the Grizzlies up 112-106. But each went 1-of-2 on free throws in the final 26.1 seconds of regulation.
After Valanciunas' miss, RJ Barrett of the Knicks tied the game on a layup with 8.8 left. Alec Burks had nine of his 19 in overtime to finish things off
The Grizzlies might be forgiven losing close games in March to the Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets and twice to the Utah Jazz. This loss? Much more disappointing because they gave this away at the foul line.
Trio of 20-point scorers not enough
For the second consecutive game, Morant had a double-digit quarter with 14 points in the third. He had 26 points along with Dillon Brooks' 23 points and Valanciunas scoring 20 points with 14 rebounds.
Morant tied his career-high with four 3-pointers and would've been perfect except for the last-second heave. The Grizzlies lost for the second time this season when they had at least 30 assists.
The Knicks, meanwhile, had Barrett and Derrick each score 20 points. Rose and Burks helped the Knicks' bench outscore Memphis 72-35.
3-point update
The Grizzlies' streak of four games with 16 3-pointers ended against the league's best 3-point defenders. They still made 14 and shot 46.7% beyond the arc, including Desmond Bane going 3of-4 on his way to 16 points.
The problem, however, was the Knicks also made 14 3-pointers. The Grizzlies' new identity as a long-range shooting team also came with defending the 3-point line better. That didn't happen Friday.
Up next
The Grizzlies return home Sunday (7 p.m., Bally Sports Southeast) to face the Indiana Pacers . It starts a threegame homestand for the Grizzlies and a chance to get revenge against the Pacers, who beat them in February.