Today's Matchup: New York Knicks vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Where: Madison Square Garden
TV: MSG Network (7:30 pm)
Knicks Report (14-56)
The Knicks return home to complete a difficult back-to-back after Sunday's 106-89 loss in Toronto. Derek Fisher's squad competed admirably, cutting the division-leading Raptors' lead to just six early in the 4th quarter, but couldn't overcome yet another key injury in the loss.
Alexey Shved left the game with a rib contusion after scoring nine points in the 1st quarter, leaving the Knicks without their leading (active) scorer for the second half. Lance Thomas stepped up to help fill the void, scoring a career-high 24 points and connecting on the first two 3-pointers of his career, but Toronto's offensive firepower was too much down the stretch.
Cole Aldrich (8 points and 9 rebounds in 18 minutes) and Shane Larkin (9 points and 8 assists) made up the bulk of New York's bench production against the Raptors, and both could be important to tonight's chances against Memphis' size and speed, respectively.
Grizzlies Report (49-21)
As they prepare for what they hope is another long playoff run, the Grizzlies hope their offense (ranked 14th in efficiency) can click enough to support their second-ranked D. The addition of Jeff Green was intended to boost scoring, but despite the team's success, the starting lineup of Mike Conley, Courtney Lee, Green, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol actually has a -3.3 net rating (the difference in points scored vs. points allowed per 100 possessions) in 340 total minutes together.
While the performance is reason for concern, Memphis' track record and steady ascension to NBA contender gives reason for optimism. Conley and Gasol are masterful in the pick-and-roll, Randolph is a load in the post, and Conley, Lee and Green give the team much-needed floor spacing with their 3-point shooting ability.
Game Notes
Ricky Ledo made his Knicks debut in the third game since signing his 10-day contract last Thursday. The 22-year-old, 6'7" shooting guard scored six points in eight minutes and showed impressive feel for the game with a handful of nice passes. He could be in line for more playing time with Shved's injury added to a list that already includes Tim hardaway Jr. (wrist), Cleanthony Early (ankle) and Jose Calderon (Achilles)...The first time these two teams met (January 5th in Memphis) was the night that J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert were traded to Cleveland.