Knicks 123, Grizzlies 113:

Another night, another 2024 Knicks outcome: win the game, lose someone to injury — in last night’s case, not just “someone”

Well, that was certainly a basketball game.

The shorthanded New York Knicks hosted the even shorterhanded Memphis Grizzlies in the Knicks’ first game since their nine-game winning streak was snapped. As we reach the dog days of the regular season, fans’ patience begins to wane. What was once nightly excitement for their favorite team becomes conversations about shortening the regular season — a fruitless exercise. The NBA has little financial incentive to shorten its regular season.

But, more importantly, the season is meant to be a chaotic journey. When we reach the end and only one team remains, it feels as though we’ve just watched someone scale a mountain. There are lessons learned every time the players lace up their nylon strings and step onto the court. Even on Tuesday nights in February, when the injury report for a single game lists 15 players.

Another early blitz

The Knicks opened in a manner resembling almost every game in the month of January, so familiar you could set your watch to certain moments. Jalen Brunson danced like Fred Astaire, zig-zagging between defenders, finding angles that at first appear impossible. Despite an inspired effort from 23-year-old Vince Williams, who made an ardent effort to hound him every time he touched the ball, Brunson scored 17 easy points in the first quarter and looked like he was on cruise control.

Donte DiVincenzo hit an abundance of 3-pointers while mixing in some inside-the-arc wizardry of his own. The Knicks expected DiVincenzo to struggle at the rim (he’s shooting just 58% there on the season), something he’s done his entire career, but he’s mitigated that weakness by taking a massive leap from the midrange. DiVincenzo shot 33%, 25% and 33% his last three campaigns. This season he’s making 48%.

The Knicks got more familiar impact from their usual suspects. Josh Hart flew around the court defending multiple positions, battling for rebounds and hesitating on open 3-pointers before wandering into the lane. Precious Achiuwa and Isaiah Hartenstein, the Knicks’ newest iteration of the Bash Brothers, bludgeoned the Memphis frontcourt on both ends; while they combined for just six offensive rebounds (yes, that is somehow low for them), they also combined for 34 points on 21 shots, five steals and four blocks. After a small slump recovering from his ankle injury, Hartenstein has returned to his pre-injury defensive dominance, while Achiuwa continues to assert himself as more than just a throw-in from the OG Anunoby trade.

Add all this up and the Knicks built a lead as big as 28, seemingly headed for a fourth quarter that’d permit their starters some much-needed rest.

A minor scare, a major problem?

Unfortunately, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. And a game that appeared to be a laugher got uncomfortably close late in the fourth — so much so that Mike Breen and Clyde Frazier, celebrating 25 wonderful years broadcasting games on MSG, were clearly caught off-guard. Breen spent much of the fourth reminiscing on his time with Frazier, softening the blow of the Grizzlies’ backups serving the Knicks. After trailing by as many as 28, David Roddy hit a 3-pointer (the Grizzlies’ ninth of the quarter) with 2:05 remaining that cut the lead to four.

And this was after the worst appeared to happen. Due to the Knicks’ inability to hold onto their massive lead, Brunson returned to the court in the fourth. With the Knicks clinging to a double-digit lead, Brunson drove to the basket and twisted his ankle. It sounds like the Knicks dodged a bullet and Brunson will be okay, yet the question still needs be asked: are they digging their own grave?

Every time a rotation player misses a game, it seems the Knicks’ solution is to just divide the available minutes amongst the players already playing. Four of their last five games came against teams that’d be outside the playoffs if they started today, yet in those games Brunson, DiVincenzo, Hart, Achiuwa and Hartenstein are all playing extended minutes, beyond reason. 

At this point we know who Tom Thibodeau is. He’s going to do what he thinks gives him the best chance of winning in that exact moment. But what if it comes at giving your team the best chance of achieving the overarching goal of the season? Could it be worth it to sacrifice your chances of winning a possession, or even a game, if it ensures your most important players have more juice in the tank when they reach the end?

I don’t know the answer. I’d imagine the Knicks’ franchise has experts who do. It is irrefutable, however, that more time on the court means greater risk of injury. Obviously there are certain things you can’t control. It appears both the injuries to Anunoby and Julius Randle were fluky. But as the injuries keep mounting, if the Knicks continue to double down on extending available players’ minutes in pursuit of short-term perfection, I fear they will be playing a dangerous, and ultimately unwinnable, game.

In short: get well soon, OG and Quentin!