Game Preview: New York Knicks vs Memphis Grizzlies, February 6, 2024

Hey, it’s a palindrome! Tonight the New York Knicks, with a 32-18 record, will battle the 18-32 Memphis Grizzlies.

It should be a fun night at Madison Square Garden because times are tough for the Tennesseans. On Sunday in Boston, the shorthanded Grizzlies suffered a 40-point defeat. They’re missing 13 guys by my count:

The also-shorthanded Knicks couldn’t withstand a fourth-quarter push by the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. The loss broke a string of nine-consecutive wins for New York, during which the team was led by All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson. Over his last ten games, Brunson has averaged 32.9 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.3 rebounds. Scalding hot!

As you would expect with all those injured players, the season has been less than rosy for the Grizz. Their mixed-and-matched assortment rate eighth in the league for defense (good!) but 30th for offense (not good!). They attempt the NBA’s fifth-most three-pointers but make only 34% of them. They labor to put 106.9 points on the scoreboard, which is the worst in the Association.

As of this writing, Jaren Jackson, Jr., Santi Aldama, Derrick Rose, Vince Williams, Jr., and John Konchr are all listed as “Game-Time Decision.” Yeesh. The desperate Bears sign Scotty Pippen, Jr. to a two-way contract in January. He has averaged 10-ish points for the Grizzlies in six appearances and scored 19 to lead his team in defeat against the Celtics. No, it’s not spelled “Scottie,” according to Basketball-Reference.com. Yes, he is Scottie Pippen’s kid.

Predictions

This seems like an excellent opportunity to let Malachi Flynn show us what he can do! ESPN.com gives the Knicks an 87% chance of winning. If JJJ and some of those other injured guys suit up, the game might get interesting. Overall, New York has too much talent to lose to the mostly Memphis reservists. Knicks by +15.

Game Details

Who: New York Knicks vs Memphis Grizzlies

When: 7:30 pm EST, Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Where: Madison Square Garden, NYC

Watch: MSG

Follow: @ptknicksblog