NBA

New York Wins a Thriller in Overtime against Memphis

by
Ashley Howard
April 9, 2021

The Memphis Grizzlies came into Madison Square Garden ready to face the New York Knicks. They were on a 4-game win streak, aiming to get number 5 tonight. However, New York has lost two straight. Eyeing their Eastern Conference standings, they knew a win was necessary. It was a hard-fought battle, but they got it done in 5 quarters.

Memphis came out the gate, taking an early 11-4 lead on New York. Just before the halfway point, New York was able to cut it within 3. Still, their defense was out of synch and allowed Memphis to take a 9-point lead with about 4 minutes left. Eventually, New York found themselves in an 11-point slump. Two consecutive layups by Derrick Rose forced Memphis to call a timeout. After talking it over, they went on another large run. New York was down 35-23 heading into the second quarter.

Alec Burks came into the second quarter knocking down a three-pointer. Just when the game looked like it was going to slip away for New York, Rose kept propelling them back into it. He had 13 points in the first half. Overall, New York never got closer than 7, and Memphis never led by more than 11. It was a 60-51 game at the half.

New York came out hot in the third to cut their deficit to 4. However, they started to let up and allowed Memphis to extend their lead to 14. Nonetheless, the team went on an 8-1 run to end the third. As a result, they were able to pull within 7 again. It started with an alley-oop to Obi Toppin from Immanuel Quickley. Then, Quickley hit a three-pointer. Thus, they went into the fourth down 90-83.

All in all, Memphis led by as much as 13 in the fourth quarter. Toward the end, New York cut it to 6. RJ Barrett’s driving layup and two jump shots by Julius Randle and Quickley were all responsible for that. Barrett was fouled and sent to the line to shoot 3 free throws. He made all of them, tying it at 112 with 26 seconds left in regulation. Barrett was not done yet, though. Guarded by Ja Morant, his layup tied the game at 114 with 8 seconds left. Then, Morant was headed back the other way to try to get a game-winner. He drove to the basket as the clock ran down and could not get it in. New York and Memphis were headed to overtime.

Dillon Brooks started overtime with a shot from behind the arc, which put Memphis ahead. Barrett just refused to go away. Another layup bought his team within 1. During the next possession, Randle knocked in a bucket from downtown as well. New York was then up 119-117. From that point on, it was hard to stop them. It was a 5-point game before Memphis called a timeout. The game ended with a pair of free throws by Burks. Despite being down by 13 in the final stretch, New York survived overtime, beating Memphis 133-129.

Both Randle and Barrett redeemed themselves after getting off to a slow start. The two combined for only 6 points in the first half. Regardless, Barrett found a way to lead the team with 20 points along with Quickley. Rose and Burks each had 19 points apiece. Through it all, Randle acquired his 5th triple-double of the season. He had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Coach Thibodeau noted the big play was Randle forcing Memphis’ defense to collapse and finding Barrett for an open three.

“Just find a way to win,” he said. “Sometimes you may not be shooting well but do other things and make hustle plays.”

There is a difference between teams that fight back when they are down and those that do not. According to Taj Gibson, that difference is trust.

“The team that fights back believes in each other,” he said. “They understand the work ethic they put in day to day,” he added. “We work extremely hard, and we are really a family.”