After taking Veterans' Day to recover from a challenging road trip that saw them drop 3-of-4 on the West Coast, the Memphis Grizzlies return home tonight when they face the New York Knicks at FedEx Forum.
The Grizzlies (3-5) are coming off one of their strongest performances of the season, although they came up short in the end. O.J. Mayo, who scored 33 points in Monday's game, became one of only five NBA rookies ever to score 30+ points in consecutive games this early in a season. He has proven himself to be one of the leaders, if not the main leader, of this young team. In an ESPN.com ranking of the top 50 NBA rookies, Mayo ranks fourth, while teammates Marc Gasol and Darrell Arthur rank fifth and tenth, respectively.
The Knicks (4-3) are undergoing a transformation under first-year head coach Mike D'Antoni. D'Antoni is attempting to bring his high-octane style of offense that brought him success with Phoenix to the Big Apple. That means the Grizzlies will need to bring the same defensive intensity to tonight's game that they used against the Suns. However, the Knicks have a very young squad and aren't quite as effective with that style of offense yet. They don't have a superstar like Amare Stoudemire, although they feature several players who are averaging double figures.
Jamal Crawford leads the team with 20.4 ppg, while Zach Randolph averages 19.1. Three other players average at least 10 ppg. Randolph is a big body who will challenge the Grizzlies down low. He is averaging 11.7 rebounds per game to go along with his points and is a decent shot blocker. David Lee leads the team in shooting at 48.4 percent overall while Quentin Richardson shoots 41.2 percent from 3-point range.
Of course, the most famous of the Knicks is Stephon Marbury, who has yet to play a minute this season and is benched for the foreseeable future. D'Antoni has said he could see time this season as a last resort, but it's clear D'Antoni doesn't care for Marbury, and eventually the Knicks will find a way to get rid of him.
If the Grizzlies can duplicate their late success against Phoenix by cutting down on their turnovers, getting the most out of each offensive possession and playing tough defense, this game is very winnable. Getting points from Quentin Ross and a solid performance by Rudy Gay to go along with Mayo will be a key. They will have to be aggressive on the boards and stay out of foul trouble. If they do that, they should remain undefeated at home.
Keywords: Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks, O.J. Mayo, Quentin Ross, Rudy Gay
