Memphis Grizzlies vs New York Knicks Picks and Predictions February 28th 2025

Knicks, with Next-Man-Up Attitude, Clash with Grizzlies

The New York Knicks are hoping for a quick recovery for big man Karl-Anthony Towns, who suffered a knee injury.

Until then, they might be able to survive his absence if Mikal Bridges performs as he did against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Bridges picked up the loss of Towns’ scoring from the outset, dropping in 19 first-quarter points and finishing with 28 in a 110-105 victory.

The Knicks, who won for the 11th time in 15 games, travel to Memphis for a Friday game against the Grizzlies, who escaped with a 151-148 home victory in overtime on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns.

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Towns’ availability for the game against the Grizzlies is uncertain. He was listed as questionable before the game against the 76ers but did not play. He was diagnosed with left knee patellar tendinopathy after sustaining the injury on Sunday in a 118-105 loss to Boston.

Towns hobbled to the locker room in the fourth quarter against the Celtics but returned at less than 100 percent.

Bridges Steps Up in Towns’ Absence

Against the 76ers, Bridges finished with his highest output since scoring 28 in a 143-106 win against the Grizzlies on Jan. 27. In the Philadelphia game, Bridges was 12-of-18 shooting, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. He added two steals, two rebounds, and praise from Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.

“It was huge,” Thibodeau said. “You’re not replacing a guy like KAT individually. You have to do it collectively, and I thought the way Mikal played, his aggressiveness to start the game, was huge.”

Brunson was equally impressed.

“It was big time,” said Brunson, who scored a game-high 34 points. “He made some shots, played really well. He played well on both sides of the ball. That’s what we expect. Nothing we haven’t seen before.”

Starting in place of Towns on Wednesday, center Ariel Hukporti suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee and is expected to miss four to six weeks, ESPN reported Thursday. It was the first career start for Hukporti, a rookie, who scored eight points and grabbed two rebounds in 16 minutes of game action.

Grizzlies Fighting for Playoff Positioning

As for the Grizzlies, they are making a push to remain in the hunt for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference behind Oklahoma City. In their overtime win over Phoenix—the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season at 299 points—Memphis needed star Ja Morant when it counted, and he delivered.

Despite a poor shooting night (7 of 25), Morant scored the final 11 points for Memphis to send the game into overtime. Morant scored five points in the final 10 seconds, a 3-pointer and a floating jumper in the paint with 1.4 seconds to go.

“Just staying locked,” Morant said. “I know every shot I take won’t go in, but that don’t mean once you miss one, stop taking them. Just continuing to shoot the ball.”

Morant scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to help the Grizzlies improve to 22-6 at home. While he was 1 of 12 from 3-point range, Morant made all of his 14 free throws en route to 29 points.

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“It was huge,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “Give him so much credit. He still took 12 3s. He was in rhythm. He was getting open shots. His teammates were trusting him even though they weren’t falling.”

The team’s lone All-Star selection, Jaren Jackson Jr., turned in another accurate shooting night. He was 11-of-13 from the field and totaled 28 points.

Can the Knicks Overcome Injuries to Keep Winning?

With the Knicks facing injury setbacks and the Grizzlies looking to climb the standings, this matchup has big implications for both teams.

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