Jackson, Morant lead Grizzlies past Knicks, 120-108

Updated Feb. 2, 2022 10:22 p.m. ET

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Jaren Jackson Jr. had 26 points and 10 rebounds, Ja Morant added 23 points and nine assists and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the New York Knicks 120-108 on Wednesday night.

Morant had some of his usual high-flying highlight plays, but shot just 9 for 27 from the field, missing all six 3-point attempts.

But the Grizzlies go well beyond their first-time All-Star. Rookie Ziaire Williams scored a season-high 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting, while Jackson, Desmond Bane and De'Anthony Melton all hit four 3-pointers.

Morant had his streak of 30-point games stopped at seven, but the Grizzlies bounced back from an overtime loss in Philadelphia on Monday night to win for the fourth time in five games.

Evan Fournier scored 30 points for the Knicks, who lost for the seventh time in nine games ahead of a difficult five-game Western Conference trip that starts Saturday against the Lakers

Memphis led by double digits for a long stretch before the Knicks trimmed it to 95-90 early in the fourth when Immanuel Quickley made consecutive 3-pointers, the first while being fouled. But the Knicks then accidentally tipped in a Memphis miss and Jackson made a 3-pointer to restore a 10-point lead, and Bane later knocked down a 3 and Morant scored to stop one last New York push.

Melton scored 11 points in the first quarter, sending Memphis to a 35-27 lead. The Grizzlies scored 10 straight to open the second and build a 45-27 cushion.

The Grizzlies put on a show late in the half, with Morant throwing a lob to Williams for a dunk in transition and then Williams returning the favor to set up for Morant for a

The Knicks got the pace slowed down somewhat in the third and climbed back within six points midway through the period, but the Grizzlies had it back up to 92-79 after three.

TIP-INS

Grizzlies: Coach Taylor Jenkins said C Steven Adams, who had been listed as questionable with a sprained left ankle, was still feeling a little sore but had gone through treatment the last few days to be ready to start Wednesday. Adams grabbed 13 rebounds. ... Melton scored 14 points and Bane 13.

Knicks: Julius Randle had 18 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists before being ejected in the closing seconds for a second technical foul. ... RJ Barrett scored 23 points.

GRIZZLIES GAINS

Jenkins said he has noticed more Grizzlies jerseys in road arenas. Morant was seventh on the NBA's most-popular jersey list last month, based on sales on NBAStore.com for the first half of the 2021-22 regular season.

“Obviously, you see the swag he plays with, the energy he plays with, the uniqueness with his athleticism but also his unique playmaking ability, too,” Jenkins said. “Obviously, he’s a highlight reel, but then I would say he’s also a guy that impacts winning. So he does it all and hopefully the way he handles himself on the court, he handles himself in the media and community is just inspiring to others and hopefully someone who’s rocking the Ja jersey or rocking any of our Grizzlies jerseys out there, it’s a testament to what this team stands for.”

ATHLETES IN THE ARENA

The crowd included Olympic skiing gold medalist Lindsey Vonn, former Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia and boxers Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, who will meet April 30 for Taylor's lightweight titles in what organizers say will be the

UP NEXT

Grizzlies: Visit Orlando on Saturday.

Knicks: Visit Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.