Porzingis leads balanced Knicks past Grizzlies
NEW YORK -- Kristaps Porzingis led five players in double figures with 21 points to help the New York Knicks defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 111-104 on Saturday in the home opener at Madison Square Garden.
Carmelo Anthony added 20 points and five assists. The veteran forward was 9 of 12 from the line.
Courtney Lee rebounded from a scoreless opening night loss to Cleveland with 16 points and Derrick Rose added 13. Reserve Kyle O'Quinn chipped in with 11 points off the bench for the Knicks (1-1).
Joakim Noah, who the Knicks acquired as a free agent from Chicago, fouled out with 2:28 left to play and the Knicks holding a 101-91 lead. Noah exited with six points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Marc Gasol paced Memphis (1-1) with 20 points and James Ennis added 16.
The Grizzlies got as close as 87-85 early in the fourth quarter, but the Knicks used a 12-0 run over the next four minutes to move ahead 99-85.
The Knicks held a 73-57 cushion with 7:05 left in the third, but fell into a shooting drought, missing seven of their next 11 shots. Memphis took advantage, ending the quarter by outscoring the Knicks 20-9 to get within 82-77 heading into the fourth.
Memphis erased a 55-40 Knicks lead with 2:49 left in the second quarter by going on a 9-2 run to pull within 57-49 at the half. Gasol led the run with seven points.
Porzingis paced the Knicks with 14 first-half points. Noah benefitted from the free-flowing offense, recording six of the 17 first-half assists for the Knicks -- as many as they had in the opening night loss to Cleveland.
The Knicks assisted on 10 of their 12 baskets in the first quarter and led 32-19 behind nine points from Lee and seven from Anthony. Memphis shot 36.4 percent from the floor in the quarter.
NOTES: G Ron Baker and C Marshall Plumlee were inactive for New York. ... G/F Tony Allen (right knee) and F/C Brandon Wright (left ankle) were out for Memphis. ... Grizzlies F Chandler Parsons remains sidelined recovering from knee surgery. ... Memphis F Vince Carter, who turns 40 on Jan. 26, is the league's oldest player. ... With undrafted Knicks rookie Plumlee joining Mason Plumlee (Trail Blazers) and Miles Plumlee (Bucks), the Plumlees are the first trio of brothers in the NBA since the Barrys (Brent, Drew and Jon) in the late 1990s. ... The Knicks entered the season with five rookies on the roster for the first time since the 1979-80 season. ... Knicks F Carmelo Anthony is one of five players in league history who have averaged 20 points per game and played in at least 40 contests in each of their first 13 NBA seasons.