At 1 Penn Plaza, the momentum is palpable.
The New York Knicks secured their fifth consecutive victory and maintained their perfect record at Madison Square Garden, now standing at 7-0. This feat was achieved with a decisive 133-120 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, even without their starting center, Mitchell Robinson. Robinson was sidelined for the evening as part of his left-ankle load management plan but is anticipated to return to face the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
With Robinson absent, the Knicks experienced some vulnerabilities in their rim protection. Nevertheless, this did not significantly impact the game, as the Grizzlies, entangled in internal discord, posed little resistance. The Memphis squad appeared as dispirited on the court as their current off-court dynamic, centered around the frustrations of All-Star guard Ja Morant.
For the Knicks, the Grizzlies’ struggles were irrelevant.
New York kicked off the game with yet another explosive start, marking their seventh 40-point quarter of the season. They surged ahead with a 42-30 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. By the end of the third period, their advantage had swelled to 111-83, as the Knicks’ offense thrived under Mike Brown’s high-tempo system.
Although Memphis attempted to mount a comeback—narrowing a 19-point gap in the second quarter to 12 after a strategic timeout by Brown, and later trimming a 28-point deficit to 10 with under five minutes remaining—their efforts lacked momentum. Seven Grizzlies players reached double figures in scoring, including four bench players contributing a combined 53 points, yet the outcome was never seriously in jeopardy for the Knicks.
“[The Grizzlies are] really good in transition,” Brown warned pregame. “Everyone looks at Ja as a highlight — and he is. He’s explosive, athletic, dynamic. But what’s underrated about him is he throws the ball ahead. They’re obviously missing guys due to injury, but when you have two All-Stars on your roster, anything can happen.”
Perhaps not this time.
In 34 minutes, Morant finished with 16 points and 10 assists on 4-of-14 shooting, undone by eight turnovers as the Knicks’ pressure defense swarmed him at the point of attack. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting but spent much of the night in foul trouble. With Brandon Clarke, Zach Edey, Ty Jerome, and Scottie Pippen Jr. all sidelined, Memphis never found stability.
New York, meanwhile, looked the part of a contender.
All five starters scored in double figures. Landry Shamet, starting in Robinson’s place, had 10 points in 21 minutes. Jalen Brunson led the way with 32 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds on 11-of-19 shooting, including 6-of-9 from deep. The Knicks’ captain has tallied 56 assists over his last eight games and is averaging just as many points as last season (27) while playing two fewer minutes a night under Brown.
“I think he’s gonna get better as time goes along and he continues to find his spots and we find spots for him,” Brown said. “At least as of now — or a game ago — he’s averaging 27 points in fewer minutes. My thought process in this whole thing is I don’t want people to sit on him in the pick-and-roll or in a specific action. I like moving him around so it’s harder to deny or be physical with him because he’s not in the same place all the time.”
Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each crossed the 20-point mark, while Jordan Clarkson continued his steady rhythm off the bench with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 17 minutes. Guerschon Yabusele, given an extended look in Robinson’s absence, chipped in two points and six boards with a plus-13 net rating in 15 minutes of play.
The win kept the Knicks firmly atop the Eastern Conference’s early-season leaderboard and further cemented their identity as one of the NBA’s most balanced and explosive home teams.
Next up: another Garden test.
The Knicks host the Orlando Magic on Wednesday — a team that added Desmond Bane in the offseason and entered 5-6 but remains one of the East’s most intriguing young threats. And another opportunity for the Knicks to add to their undefeated home record before another trip on the road, where they are 0-3.
