If the Knicks plan to make a serious, upward move in the Eastern Conference standings, Friday night’s game began the favorable stretch for them to do so.
And his furious comeback in a 133-129 overtime win over the Grizzlies in the Garden could serve as a springboard.
Top scorers Julius Randle and RJ Barrett were mostly invisible for three quarters, but the duo combined for 23 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Knicks overcame a 13-point hole. His frantic comeback allowed the Knicks to win the first leg of eleven games in which they will play nine times in front of their fans.
Randle didn’t score his first field goal until he remained 3:16 in the third quarter, but finished with 15 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his fifth triple-double of the season.
Barrett scored just five points in three quarters, but scored 15 the rest of the way, including a late-game tie and a 3-point lead with 1:15 in overtime.
Alec Burks scored nine of his 19 points in the extra session, Immanuel Quickley finished with 20 points and Derrick Rose added 19 points from the Knicks bench (26-27), who had lost five of their previous six games to fall facing eighth place in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
Morant already finished with 26 points and six assists, while Jonas Valanciunas scored 20 points with 14 rebounds for the Grizzlies (26-24).
With the top six teams in each conference automatically qualifying to play in the postseason, and those ranked seventh and tenth under play scenarios, the Knicks will face another major home game against No. 11 Raptors on Sunday. .
“You have to win games. One game at a time and take care of business and the rest will be resolved, ”Barrett said before the game.
“I think you’re going down the stretch, the important thing: try to build that habit from the start of the season,” coach Tom Thibodeau added. “And this is the trap you fall into: you start looking forward like this. I think right now all the teams are facing the challenge of looking at a condensed calendar. So how do you maximize that time?
“Being prepared to play and understanding what’s going on with every game is critical at this point in the season.”
Barrett did not mince words when asked if he was following the two players who had overtaken him in the draft: former college teammate Zion Williamson of the Pelicans and Morant of the Grizzlies.
“My game speaks for itself,” Barrett said. “I mean, you can see our numbers, see the success of our team. It really doesn’t matter as long as I keep improving as a player, I’ll be happy. “
While Barrett and Randle combined for just six points through two quarters, Rose finished the first half with 13 in 16 minutes off the bench to help keep the Knicks 60-51.
Elfrid Payton came back from the first foul problems and scored five straight points to reduce the deficit to four points at 3:38 of the third quarter.
Valanciunas and Morant combined for 10 points in a 16-7 run to push Memphis ’lead to 13 (84-71) in the middle of the third quarter.
But the Knicks ’second unit topped another comeback bid with a lob shot from Obi Toppin and a 3 Quickley pointer that pulled them within seven entering the final period. Toppin (eight points) added another slam in the first half of the quarter.
Randle’s three-point play drew the Knicks 112-109 with 61 seconds left for regulation before Barrett tied it with three free throws with 37 ticks on the clock.
A free-kick by Morant and Valanciunas brought Memphis up in the afternoon, but Barrett drove to the left and included a short run to tie with 8.8 seconds left to force overtime.