Tyus Jones hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 47.8 seconds left in overtime Wednesday night for the host Memphis Grizzlies, who squandered a 19-point second half lead before edging the New York Knicks 115-112 in the season opener for both teams.
Ja Morant scored a game-high 34 points for the Grizzlies, who tied a team record with 56 wins last season before falling to the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the second round of the playoffs.
Santi Aldama (18 points, 11 rebounds) and John Konchar (12 points, 11 rebounds) each posted double-doubles while Jones had 15 points off the bench. Steven Adams pulled down 14 rebounds.
Julius Randle recorded a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who finished in 11th place in the Eastern Conference last season. Cam Reddish scored 22 points off the bench while fellow reserve Isaiah Hartenstein had 16.
Jalen Brunson had 15 points and nine assists in his debut for New York, while Evan Fournier scored 14 points and RJ Barrett added 11.
A three-point play by Morant gave the Grizzlies their biggest lead at 67-48 with 10:10 left in the third. The Knicks chipped away and went ahead 96-95 — their first lead since the first quarter — when Brunson hit a reverse layup with 3:31 left.
The Grizzlies squandered a pair of four-point leads down the stretch before Brunson helped force overtime, first by dishing to a wide-open Reddish for a 3-pointer from the left corner that tied the game at 108-108 with 3.3 seconds left. Brunson then drew a charge on Morant to nullify the potential game-winning layup with 0.5 seconds remaining.
Both teams looked exhausted in overtime, as they went a combined 5-for-18 from the field with five turnovers. After trading baskets over a span of 2:10, Morant missed a 35-footer as the shot clock expired and Brunson missed a pair of shots on the Knicks’ next possession before Jones sank the decisive shot.
Reddish missed a 3-pointer on the next trip down the floor and Jones missed a pair of free throws with a chance to ice the game with 4.7 seconds left. Fournier got open in the left corner and shot faked Konchar, but Fournier’s open look bounced off the rim just before time expired.
–Field Level Media