A fascinating cross-conference clash looms in Memphis on Friday night, as the New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies square off. With both New York and Memphis clinging to an old school, hard-nosed style of hoops, expect a fight at the FedEx Forum.
After getting praised as early season darlings, the Knicks are enduring their toughest stretch of the year following an offseason of upheaval. A discouraging wobble has caused plenty of concern around New York City, but Tom Thibodeau’s team has plenty of time to right the ship ahead of the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Memphis has been dragged into a four-team fight for three home-court advantage places in the Western Conference playoff picture. While the Oklahoma City Thunder has comfortably set itself atop the standings, the Grizz are scrapping the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver Nuggets for home comfort come April.
With a fascinating matchup, crossing over between conferences, on the schedule this Friday in Memphis, check out our New York Knicks vs. Memphis Grizzlies predictions, including our NBA expert picks, with tip set for February 28 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Matchup New York Knicks vs Memphis Grizzlies Overview
Teams: New York Knicks vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Date: Friday, February 28, 2025
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Venue: FedEx Forum
Win Probabilities
The prediction tip for the winner in the game between the New York Knicks and the Memphis Grizzlies is the Memphis Grizzlies.
Projected Final Score
Our predicted final score for this NBA matchup is Memphis Grizzlies 115-121 New York Knicks.
Expert Prediction: Who Wins?
As inter-conference opponents, the New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies get to face off just twice a year. They do, however, have a recent meeting to look to. It was just a month ago, in late January, when the Knicks hosted the Grizzlies at Madison Square Garden and promptly blew their visitors away in a 143-106 victory.
However, since New York’s blowout win over Memphis, the foes have gone in opposite directions. The Knicks have seen their season wobble considerably. Their win over the Grizzlies was the fourth of five straight wins, but since then, they are 5-4 and have endured faith-shaking losses to the Boston Celtics (twice) and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Grizzlies, on the other hand, regrouped after a humiliating defeat. In the 11 games since, Memphis is 7-4 and has seen good road wins against the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic, as well as a tough loss to the NBA-leading Cavs.
Everything is shaping up to make a pivotal matchup on Friday night at FedEx Forum.
Why the New York Knicks Can Cover
The New York Knicks have struggled to find any path to success in their current slump. If they rolled the ball out on Friday and tried to play the Memphis Grizzlies straight up and run the floor with them, they won’t succeed.
There’s no great comparison at the moment. The Knicks have the 10th-ranked offense over their last 10 games, while the Grizzlies are ranked seventh. New York’s defense has sunk to 29th, while Memphis has sustained its ranking at 19th. That leaky Knicks defense has seen its net rating slump to 23rd, while the Grizzlies remain a top-10, evenly balanced squad.
In order to be competitive in Memphis and have a chance at victory, the Knicks need to do what Tom Thibodeau’s teams have always done: drag their opponents into a grinding fight.
New York’s pace is the antithesis of the Grizzlies’ style. The Knicks are 25th in the league in pace, averaging just 97.4 possessions per 48 minutes. Conversely, the Grizzlies lead the league with an average of 104.1 possessions per 48 minutes.
The Knicks need to work to slow this game down and force the Grizzlies to play in the half court. They will use backup big man Precious Achiuwa more frequently and pair him with Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the league’s best rebounders.
The addition of Towns has helped New York become one of the league’s best rebounding teams, with the sixth-best rebound rate in the league at 51.1%. The Knicks can turn this contest into a half-court battle with consistent rebounding. In that scenario, the Towns and Jalen Brunson pair will find themselves with a considerable edge over the Grizzlies’ run and gun style of play.
Why the Memphis Grizzlies Can Cover
While Karl-Anthony Towns’ arrival in New York has helped the Knicks become an elite rebounding team, their paint protection is considerably weaker. For all of Towns’ incredible, All-NBA-caliber talent, his lack of foot speed, length, and verticality make him a below-average paint and rim protector.
With Mitchell Robinson still sidelined with an injury, Towns has only patrolled the paint. The result is a defense that gives up the seventh-most paint points per game, an average of 49.9. Even with good perimeter defenders in Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart, teams can easily penetrate the paint against New York.
That is a perfectly welcome trend for the Memphis Grizzlies, who can slash toward the rim with the best of them. The Grizzlies trail just Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in paint points per game, scoring 55.6 inside on a nightly basis. Whether it’s Morant attacking the rim, finding cutters, or Jaren Jackson Jr.’s developing post game, Memphis succeeds in the paint.
Memphis is already entering this contest with team-wide advantages, while the Knicks are struggling. The Grizz’s huge team strength, combined with the Knicks’ woeful paint defense, will help them sustain the kind of success needed to cover at home on Friday.
How to Make New York Knicks vs. Memphis Grizzlies Picks
Ready to make picks on the New York Knicks vs. Memphis Grizzlies matchup on Friday, February 28? Make sure to head over to Sportzino, where you can find every NBA game on the slate this weekend, and so much more!
