Turning Reddish: Knicks' Rally Falls Just Short in Memphis
New franchise faces on opening night yielded new heroes for the New York Knicks. Alas for the Manhattanites, it couldn't avoid a familiar, sour result.
Cam Reddish and Isaiah Hartenstein, appearing in their first opening night for the Knicks (0-1), united for 38 points off the bench but it wasn't enough to counter Ja Morant mastery and a game-winner from Tyus Jones. The Memphis Grizzlies countered Reddish's equalizing triple with just over three seconds remaining in regulation with his own deep ball, providing the necessary difference in a 115-112 victory for the hosts at FedEx Forum.
Lost in an admirable but ultimately futile effort against the Western Conference second seed from last season was Reddish's breakout, as his 22 points were his best output in a Knicks uniform since joining the team last spring. Unlike his dire preseason efforts, the first-round choice from Atlanta, who was not inked to a first-time extension at this week's deadline, put in 12 of his tallies in the final frame, putting in the tying triple off a helper from fellow metropolitan opening night rookie Jalen Brunson. Reddish was granted the first opportunities behind starting shooting guard Evan Fournier after Quentin Grimes (foot) was ruled out of the opener.
Among the Knicks' reserves, Reddish was joined by Isaiah Hartenstein, who put in 16 in 40 minutes while Mitchell Robinson struggled with fouls.
Robinson's infraction issues were a common theme among the Knicks' new contract signers with the exception of Hartenstein's work off the bench: with Robinson playing just 14 minutes, RJ Barrett shot just 3-of-18 from the field (including a fruitless six-attempt night from deep). Brunson had 15 points and was one assist short of a double-double in his anticipated introduction, but missed all four of his tries in the overtime period. The former Dallas Maverick's most notable contribution was taking a Morant charge that negated his regulation buzzer-beater with a half-second remaining.
Memphis (1-0) led by as much as 19 and also enjoyed double-double efforts from Santi Aldama (18 points, 11 rebounds) and John Konchar (12 points, 11 rebounds), each taking advantage of the lack of Robinson. The Grizzlies will visit New York on Nov. 27.
The Knicks' next showing will be their home opener, which lands on Friday night against the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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