Memphis Grizzlies vs New York Knicks 2/2/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Memphis Grizzlies vs. New York Knicks Matchup Preview (2/2/22)

After a tough road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime, the Memphis Grizzlies will travel to New York, New York, to attempt to hand the Knicks their fourth loss in five games. Memphis got incredible performances from its stars, Desmond Bane and Ja Morant, who dropped 34 and 37 points, respectively. Unfortunately, their scoring clinics were not enough as the Grizzlies lost in overtime to the Sixers. Still, the Grizzlies are winners of 16 of their past 20 games and are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. On Monday night, the New York Knicks finally secured a win against the horrendous Sacramento Kings after dropping three straight. New York has had a rocky season, encapsulated by inconsistent play on both ends of the floor and poor guard play. Check out my analysis below for which team I believe will win this game!

Memphis Grizzlies vs. New York Knicks Betting Odds

All signs point to this being a solid road win for the Memphis Grizzlies. The last time the Grizzlies dropped back-to-back games was in mid-December when they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, and Golden State Warriors. It seemed that was the final straw for this organization, and since then, it has been smooth sailing. The Knicks’ most recent win was at home against the Kings, who seemingly do not want to win. At the end of the day, the Grizzlies have been playing elite defense the past six weeks, while New York is 27th in points per game, 24th in offensive efficiency, and 25th in eFG% (effective field goal percentage) on the season. Essentially, the Knicks have a bottom-five, and possibly bottom-three, offense in the league, and they don’t stand a chance against this strong Grizzlies defense. I’ll take Memphis ATS.

TV Schedule

Date: 2/2/22
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Arena: Madison Square Garden – New York City, NY
Channel: ESPN

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Memphis Grizzlies Starting Lineup

PG: Ja Morant
SG: Desmond Bane
SF: Ziaire Williams
PF: Jaren Jackson Jr.
C: Steven Adams

Memphis Grizzlies Analysis

As mentioned above, the Memphis Grizzlies have won 16 of their past 20 games and can do no wrong at the moment. The games they have lost have been to the Philadelphia 76ers (in Monday’s overtime game), Dallas Mavericks (twice), and Milwaukee Bucks: those are not bad losses by any stretch of the imagination. Additionally, of their four losses in that stretch, three were on the road, so it’s clear they are protecting home court. The Grizzlies’ consistency has been remarkable since Christmas, and if they continue at this pace, Ja Morant could finish the season with an MVP award and MIP award. If Morant was not dominating as much as he is, then Desmond Bane would be in the running for MIP. In short, this is not a team you want to see right now, and they are just getting started.

New York Knicks Starting Lineup

PG: Kemba Walker
SG: RJ Barrett
SF: Evan Fournier
PF: Julius Randle
C: Mitchell Robinson

New York Knicks Analysis

It is so challenging to bet on any game where one of the teams in the game is the New York Knicks. The Knicks currently sit at 11th place in a top-heavy Eastern Conference. Despite having plenty of talent on their roster, they cannot seem to put it all together. Ironically, they have been quite a bit worse this year after bringing in two talented scoring guards in Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker. Walker has obviously struggled with injuries and efficiency, but surely New York thought it would help to bring him in. Fournier is another talented scorer, evidenced by a few 30-40 point games this season, yet his arrival has not meant much to this team’s bottom line: wins. If New York wants to break from its slump, it will need a substantial amount of offense to keep up with the Grizzlies. I don’t see that happening in this game.

Memphis Grizzlies vs. New York Knicks Daily Fantasy Picks

Memphis has such an impressive and talented roster, so it makes sense to consider plugging in more than one player into your DFS lineup, especially against such an average New York Knicks squad. It has been a grind this season for the New York Knicks. Every game they lose puts them one step closer to the lottery and one step farther from the playoffs. What makes matters worse is their complete lack of consistency as a team and as individual players; therefore, I can’t recommend any Knicks players in DFS. However, the two players I would recommend for this game would be Ja Morant and Desmond Bane. If you could time travel, you likely would find yourself traveling to the past to put a future bet on Ja Morant to win the MVP for the 2021-22 NBA season. Morant has been unreal, especially in the past two months, leading the Memphis Grizzlies to third place in an incredibly competitive Western Conference. Morant’s MVP run has been highlighted by his past 18 games, where he has averaged 30.1 points, 6.7 assists, and 6.4 rebounds on a 51/37/74 shooting split. The one area of improvement for Morant since coming out of college, and his first few years in the league, was his shooting. Morant was not very efficient behind the arc, so he needed to force defenders to honor his shot to make his slashing even more effective. Now, he has become genuinely unstoppable.

Another fantasy player to consider is Desmond Bane. In most years except for this NBA season, Bane would have been a legitimate option to win the MIP (Most Improved Player) award; however, Bane’s teammate, Ja Morant, seems to have that award wrapped up as he currently has -240 odds. I don’t think he cares too much about that, though, as the Grizzlies have been winning and climbing the Western Conference ladder at a rapid pace. Bane’s last 18 games have yielded similar results to Morant: he’s averaged around 21 points, four rebounds, and three assists on a 48/44/87 shooting split. In his last game, Bane dropped 34 points on 12-for-21 from the floor against the Philadelphia 76ers. When Bane gets this type of volume, he’s a lock for a big game. As the season continues, so should his massive performances, and you will want to be on the right side of a DFS lineup for those games.