After a very nice introduction offered by the Celtics and the Warriors, it is the turn of the rest of the league to gradually start this new 2022/23 season. And among the nice posters of this second evening much more copious than the first, there is this Grizzlies – Knicks, in Memphis.
We first witness a very rough first quarter of the two formations, which combine an ugly 17/53 on shots (9/24 Knicks, 8/29 Grizzlies) and are logically neck and neck at the end of the first twelve minutes (25-23 for Memphis). But the round of observation ends very quickly in the minutes that follow, and the momentum rocks furiously in favor of the locals, who plant 36 points (at 14/23) in the second quarter, under the impetus, in particular, of a Ja Morant as supersonic as last year and a duo Desmond Bane – Sharp Santi Aldama.
The Knicks make a lot of mistakes in defense, rely too much on assists and are then logically sanctioned behind the arc, seven times precisely in the second quarter alone. In attack, it’s not much better except for a few flashes from Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein, which are satisfactory in this first half, and the Knicks are quite logically dropped at halftime (61-46) .
The Knicks revolt
Returning from the locker room, Tom Thibodeau’s men displayed a completely different face, much more convincing on both sides of the field. In defense, they adjust, trusting their one-on-one defense more than their assists, and thus offer less space to their opponents, especially Ja Morant. Even if the leader of Memphis still finds alternatives to continue his work.
On offense, it’s still a very solid Justin Randle who leads the charge, this time being able to count on the awakenings of Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish, who plant some welcome outside shots. This same Cam Reddish scored 12 points in the fourth quarter alone, including the winning shot for the equalizer five tenths from the end of the match (108-108). Led by 19 points at the start of the third quarter, the Knicks came back from hell to snatch an extension!
Evan Fournier misses the equalizer basket
The extra period started badly for “Thibs” and his men, since they lost their best element of the match, Julius Randle, who very quickly committed a sixth fatal foul. The Knicks still stay the course and return blow for blow to the Grizzlies, until this decisive award-winning shot from Tyus Jones, about thirty seconds from the final buzzer. On the final possession, Evan Fournier, with a 3-point shot in the corner in front of the Grizzlies bench, is very close to adding another five minutes to the game. But the leather lands a few millimeters too early, bounces off the circle and the match is over (115-112).
A cruel defeat for the Knicks, badly embarked and yet very close to robbing the FedEx Forum, after a good second game.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The outside shot, the key to the match. In the first half, the Knicks defended very poorly, including abusing defensive assists. A decision which logically created gaps in their half of the field, which Ja Morant did not fail to exploit. The leaping leader indeed served his teammates several times behind the arc, who gained confidence for the rest of the game. Because the Knicks adjusted their defense after the break, limiting open shots for their opponents, but the latter then registered contested shots. In total, 17 award-winning shots for the locals, against 9 for the visitors. Undoubtedly the key to this match, whose final gap was… 3 points.
TOPS & FLOPS
✅ Julius Randle. He was heavily criticized last year, and rightly so. This season, it looks like Julius Randle is in a better frame of mind. In any case, this is what his game suggests, since the MIP 2021 has melted into the collective without holding the leather for too long, as was very often the case last year. It was under his leadership that the Knicks began their “comeback” after the break, and overall more broadly than scoring, he was very convincing: 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.
✅ Ja Morant. What to say ? 34 points and 9 assists for the Grizzlies superstar, who sliced through the Knicks defense by consistently attacking the circle. An XXL entry, in the continuity of its last two “opening nights”: 44 points in 2020, 37 in 2021.
✅ Santi Aldama. Holder on position 4 in the absence of Jaren Jackson Jr, the young Spaniard offers himself a double-double to start the season: 18 points and 11 rebounds. Always available and on the move, he benefited from several of Ja Morant’s 9 assists.
✅ Cam Reddish. His preseason performances were disappointing, so he did better when it really mattered. Taking advantage of the absence of Quentin Grimes, the Knicks winger actually shone off the bench: 22 points at 9/15 on shots in 28 minutes, including the shot that air-conditioned the FedEx Forum and sent everyone into overtime. An ideal way to start the season, and to stand out in the eyes of Tom Thibodeau.
⛔️ RJ Barrett. The Canadian Knicks delivered a very poor performance for his first game of the season: 11 points at 3/18 on shots. Time and time again he forced shots when other options seemed more relevant. On the other side of the field, he failed to keep pace with Ja Morant, against whom he was on mission for most of the game. In short, a first to forget for RJ Barrett.
THE FOLLOWING
– Grizzlies : trip to Houston, on the night of Friday to Saturday (1h30)
– Knicks : reception of the Pistons, on the night of Friday to Saturday (1h30)
