Knicks Get a Big Man Back and a Big Win

New York's tenacious intensity and will to win in a hostile environment on the road last night was reminiscent of the plucky bunch of overachievers Knick fans fell in love with last year.

Final Score: Knicks 114 - Grizzlies 113
Record: 39-20

For weeks, all the Knicks have heard about is how they are incapable of beating quality teams. And in Friday night's road game against the club with the second-best team in the Western Conference, New York was getting bullied on the boards all night. The visitors also went ice-cold in the third quarter, unable to buy a bucket. With 15 minutes left in the contest, the Knicks were down 12 points (84-72)and it appeared they were headed for another deflating defeat.

However, that's when the 'Bockers, who welcomed back a familiar face last night, showcased the grit, guts and gumption that forced fans to fall in love with last season's squad.

With three minutes remaining in the third quarter and the game seemingly slipping away, OG Anunoby drained a three-pointer to cut the deficit to single digits, 84-75. On NY's next possession, Mitchell Robinson, making his 2024-25 season debut, converted a layup. New York closed the third quarter with a dynamic Deuce McBride dunk and a Jalen Brunson three-ball.

The Knicks had life heading into the final frame but continued to get beat up on the glass. However, Memphis missed shot after shot from behind the arc (the Grizzlies were 0-for-10 from downtown in the second half), and New York continued to claw back into the contest. As the two teams exchanged haymakers down the stretch, the road team was down two with two minutes remaining in regulation.

So, Captain Clutch put on his cap and went to work.

Brunson hit a floater from 12 feet to tie the game at 108. Ja Morant then put the Grizz back in front with a pair of free throws. Who do you think the Knicks gave the ball to, trailing by two points and under 30 ticks left on the clock? Josh Hart set a screen for The Captain, and JB buried a three-pointer from the right side.

However, Memphis went back on top courtesy of an And-1 by Morant.

On New York's final possession, everyone in the building knew Brunson was gonna get the rock. The Grizzlies blitzed Brunson with a double-team, but JB was still able to get a foot in the paint, sucking in the defense, before dishing out to a wide-open OG, who sunk a dagger triple.

Mikal Bridges was then able to contest Morant's final attempt before the buzzer, and the Knicks walked away with arguably their most impressive and important victory of the season.

As noted above, the Knicks' tenacious intensity and will to win in a hostile environment on the road was reminiscent of the plucky bunch of overachievers NY fans fell in love with last year.

Given the club's recent struggles, it appeared they had lost some of their swagger and self-confidence. We shall see if Friday's victory, combined with Mitch Rob's return, puts some wind back in their sails, and they can continue to build on the momentum generated.

When we look back on this season, will this win be a turning point?

Stay tuned…

Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:

🏀 Yes, it's true that New York has yet to beat the three top teams in the NBA (Cleveland, Boston and Oklahoma City). Still, it is important to note that the Knicks are now 8-1 in the nine games they have played against the clubs in the "second tier" (Memphis, Milwaukee, Denver and Indiana).

FWIW, New York has clearly been the fourth-best team in the NBA this season.

🏀 Jalen Brunson is incredible. His courage to take and ability to make big shots in big spots is becoming the stuff of legends.

Not only has he made more crunch-time buckets than any other player in the NBA this season, he's made more than an entire team.

Total number of made field goals in the clutch this season:
Jalen Brunson:
39 (on 77 attempts)

The entire Oklahoma City Thunder Team:
39 (on 91 attempts)

The entire Washington Wizards Team:
35 (on 91 attempts)

Brunson has also been more efficient and effective as time winds down and pressure increases. JB is shooting 50.6% with five minutes remaining in clutch situations (point differential of five points or less) and 54.9% in the final three minutes.

And, after drilling that triple against Memphis last night, Brunson is 9-of-14 (64.3%!) in the final 30 seconds of close games (five points or less) this season.

Fifteen times this season, the Knicks have been in a one-possession game (point differential of three points or less) with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation or overtime. Over the final 30 seconds of those 15 contests, Jalen Brunson is 8-of-12 from the floor (66.7%) and 11-of-11 (100%) from the free-throw line. New York is a league-best 12-3 in those 15 games.

(Those numbers don't include his assist to OG last night.)

Just give JB the NBA Clutch Player of the Year award now and get it over with…

🏀 The Knicks rank 30th in bench scoring this season. The Grizz rank first. However, NY's reserves outscored Memphis last night, thanks in large part to the brilliant all-around play of Miles McBride.

Deuce was incredibly impactful on both ends of the floor, finishing with 17 points (on 7-of-11 FGs), four rebounds, three assists (vs. zero turnovers), three treys and two steals. New York outscored the Grizz by nine points in the 28 minutes he was on the floor.

There are several quality candidates, but a strong argument could be made that Deuce deserved the game ball.

🏀 OG Anunoby tallied 19 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal, two blocks and four three-pointers in 38 minutes. Obviously, his final bucket was the most important of the evening. He also did a solid job keeping Jaren Jackson Jr. in check most of the night.

Anunoby's game-winner was the first go-ahead three-pointer by a Knick with New York down by two points with less than 10 seconds remaining in a game since Melo's miracle against the Bulls on Easter in 2012.

The last Knick to a hit 3PT in that situation on the road was Steve Francis in Washington, DC, on March 10th, 2007.

🏀 Mikal Bridges missed all five of his three-point attempts but ended up with 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting and was also tasked with chasing around Ja Morant all game. The speedy Memphis PG scored a game-high 25 points but was just 9-of-22 from the floor (including the game-sealing miss at the buzzer, attempted over Bridges' outstretched arms).

🏀 Cam Payne only made one FG on five attempts, but it was an adrenaline shot - a 3PT to pull New York within one early in the final frame… Landry Shamet was also trusted with significant second-half minutes and responded by scoring five points on 2-of-2 shooting over the first four minutes of the fourth quarter. He should remain a part of the 2H rotation.

🏀 I'm burying the lede a little bit by waiting this long to discuss the return of Mitchell Robinson. It was great to see the big man with the goofy grin step foot on an NBA court for the first time since Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals vs. Indiana last Spring.

For someone who can be alarmingly honest at times on social media, Mitch has acknowledged battling through some despair as he was forced to watch from the sidelines over the past 11 months. We can only imagine how good he felt returning to work Friday night.

His impact was undeniable, as evidenced by his posting the contest's highest plus-minus (+11). Mitch Rob racked up six points (3-of-4 FGs), five boards and one assist in 12 minutes of action. He looked gassed at times, which is to be expected, but he was moving well.

Just seeing him out there, you almost forgot how big he is. And it is nearly impossible to overstate how big of an impact he can have on this team this season. He is a true X-Factor. Let's hope he can avoid the dreaded injury bug.

🏀 On the negative side of the ledger, Karl-Anthony Towns did not look good last night. He was 4-of-11 from the floor and ended up with 11 points, seven boards and two assists.

He looked a step slow all game, as it appears he may still be hampered by the knee issue that sidelined him in Wednesday's win over the Sixers.

We'll find out if he can bounce back Sunday in Miami. It will also be interesting to see how soon Thibs rolls out a lineup featuring KAT alongside Robinson.

🏀Around the NBA:

• After determining that he is "medically unable to play," the Sixers announced on Friday that Joel Embiid will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2024-25 season due to ongoing issues with his left knee. With the Sixers all but openly embracing a tank to secure a top-six pick in the 2025 draft, it seems likely they will also shut down Paul George at some point.

• Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs is out indefinitely due to a trochlea injury in his left knee. It is a tough blow for Orlando, who have fallen three games below .500 and into the 8th seed in the East.

• Despite Boston jumping out to a 25-3 lead in the first five minutes at home last night, the Celtics lost to the Cavs 123-116. It had to be a huge confidence booster for Cleveland in the final regular-season meeting of the Eastern Conference's top two teams. The Knicks are now just two games behind the C's for the #2 seed.

• Remarkably, Steph Curry passed Patrick Ewing on the NBA's all-time scoring list AND LeBron James passed Ewing on the NBA's all-time rebounding list on Thursday night. When he retired, Patrick was in the top 20 all-time in points, boards, and blocks. Make sure you put plenty of respect on that man's name.

🏀 I discussed seven potential options for the Knicks' 15th and final roster spot in yesterday's post, but we can add another name to that list.

Moses Brown, who has spent most of the 2024-25 season playing for the Westchester Knicks, signed a ten-day contract for the size-starved Dallas Mavericks in late February.

On Thursday, Brown was inserted into the starting lineup by head coach Jason Kidd for the Mavs' matchup against the Hornets and responded by racking up 21 points, 11 rebounds, a career-high three steals, and two blocks in 31 minutes of action.

The good news for Dallas is that Brown has provided the defensive paint protection and lob threat they desperately need. The bad news for the Mavs is that Dallas cannot sign the big man to another ten-day pact because they are hard-capped at the first apron due to two moves they made at the deadline. Consequently, they must watch him walk away once his current contract expires Saturday night.

Thus, the Knicks will have a chance to pounce and scoop up a player they are very familiar with and address their lack of depth upfront in the process. The 7'2" 25-year-old Brown, a New York native who played his high school hoops at Archbishop Molloy in Queens, was named the G League Player of the Month for January after averaging 16.7 points and 16.4 rebounds per game while shooting 60.8% from the field for Westchester.

The Knicks could sign him to a guaranteed contract or ink Brown to a 10-day deal, which would carry a cap charge of approximately $120k, enabling New York to address their short-term need at center while maintaining financial flexibility.

Another name to watch is David Roddy, who was waived by the Sixers this morning. Roddy, the 23rd overall pick in the 2022 draft, began the season with Atlanta and averaged 4.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 12.8 minutes over 27 appearances for the Hawks. Philly picked Roddy up after Atlanta cut him loose to complete a two-for-one deal with the Clippers last month.

🏀 Next Up:
Knicks at Heat on Sunday (6:00 pm tip)

Miami was in a nasty tailspin in February, losing six of seven games, before closing out the month with two straight home wins: A blowout over Atlanta and an impressive victory against the Pacers last night.

Miami shot 58% in those two contests, tying the seventh-best two-game span in team history.

On the injury front, newly-acquired Andrew Wiggins, who came over in the Jimmy Butler swap, missed Friday's game with a sprained right ankle. Jaime Jaquez Jr., who drew the start in place of Wiggins, injured his right ankle in the third quarter of Friday's victory vs. the Pacers and did not return to the contest.

Enjoy your weekend, everybody!!