New York Knicks: Combating Grit and Grind gifts David Fizdale’s revenge

The New York Knicks defeated the Memphis Grizzlies for their third straight win. More importantly, it was in head coach David Fizdale’s return.

The New York Knicks entered Sunday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on a two-game winning streak, with close calls over the Boston Celtics and New Orleans Pelicans. Behind Emmanuel Mudiay, Tim Hardaway Jr., Mario Hezonja, Noah Vonleh and Enes Kanter working together, they found a winning combination.

That carried versus the Grizzlies, but it wasn’t the night’s biggest storyline.

Much was made of head coach David Fizdale’s return to Memphis, where he held the same position from 2016-17, before the Grizzlies fired him shortly into the 2017-18 season.

Fizdale downplayed his first game back at the FedExForum, but the players didn’t. Trey Burke told Steve Popper of Newsday:

"“I think a lot of people were kind of concerned why he got let go out there,” Trey Burke said. “This is the first time he’s going to be going up against his former team. So as players, of course we want to go in there and get a win for him.”"

Get a win for him, they did, with a 103-98 victory over the Grizzlies.

The Knicks had to play down to Memphis, who’s pace ranked last in the league. They also allowed the fewest points among the 30 teams.

That brought on as physical a game as New York has played, dating back to 2017-18. They fought for every rebound and shot, whether in the paint or behind the arc. But, as the game wore down, so did the Grizzlies.

New York capitalized with another late-game run from Emmanuel Mudiay and quality defensive work from Noah Vonleh, who led with a 17 plus-minus.

It’s difficult to deny what Enes Kanter did as well, with 21 points and a career-high 26 rebounds. For the defensive flack he has received, the Knicks were partially in this game because of his work under the boards.

Otherwise, there were other notes and observations from the night. What else stood out?

• That’s three consecutive wins for the Knicks. They didn’t have a multi-game streak of victories prior to this.
• After a game-and-a-half of struggles, Tim Hardaway Jr. found his groove in the second half. Not an efficient game for the veteran scorer, but enough to keep the Knicks involved.
• The pace intensified in the fourth quarter, unlike what the Grizzlies play, but it actually helped them. Attribute that to Jaren Jackson Jr., who looked phenomenal at both ends of the floor, including seven blocks. Marc Gasol had five of his own.
• Though this game was as physical as anything the Knicks played this season.
• Did you see that dunk from Mudiay? If so, make sure everyone sees this throwdown from the resurgent point guard:

• Has Fizdale officially found his lineup combination? Maybe so, especially as starters and players off the bench have flourished in their respective roles consistently, at least over the past four games.
• The only risk is Mario Hezonja, who had just four points in 21 minutes. He shot just 18.8 percent in the three previous games, all of which were starts.

At 7-14, the New York Knicks will stay on the road to face the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Can they make it four straight wins?