Ja Morant scored 34 points and Santi Aldama added 18 as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the New York Knicks 115-112 in overtime at FedExForum Wednesday night.
The game was tied at 112-112 with under a minute to play in overtime when Morant found an open Tyus Jones on the wing, where he knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer with 47 seconds to play. Evan Fournier had a look to tie the game from the corner as time expired, but the shot rimmed out, giving the Grizzlies a win in the season opener for the second-straight season.
Morant’s 34 points (11-24 FG) and nine assists were both team highs. Aldama made the first start of his career in the absence of Jaren Jackson Jr., taking advantage of a team-high 39 minutes with the third double-double of his career. Desmond Bane totaled 16 points with six assists and Tyus Jones added 15 points and four rebounds. John Konchar posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Grizzlies made 17 3-pointers, compared to only nine for the Knicks, but were outscored 68-48 in paint points.
Julius Randle led the Knicks (0-1) with 24 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 4:36 remaining in the final quarter. Cam Reddish finished with 22 points and five rebounds off the bench. Isaiah Hartenstein had 16 points and eight bounds while newcomer Jalen Brunson totaled 15 points and nine assists.
The Grizzlies led the Knicks 25-23 at the end of the first quarter behind 12 early points from Morant. Memphis extended the lead to 15 points at the break, 61-46, with the Knicks shooting just 33.3% in the first half.
The Grizzlies matched their largest lead of the night in the third quarter (67-48) before the Knicks cut the lead to only six points (85-79) by the end of the period behind 12 third-quarter points from Randle.
The Knicks mounted an 11-1 run to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter (96-95) with 3:31 remaining in the fourth quarter. Tied at 108-108, Morant connected on a layup in traffic that appeared to be a game-winner in regulation, but Brunson was able to draw a charge on Morant, thus sending the game into overtime.
The Grizzlies (1-0) travel to Houston to visit the Rockets (0-1) on Friday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. CT. Fans can watch on Bally Sports Southeast or tune in to 92.9 FM ESPN.