The Knicks, winners of three in a row heading into Friday night, looked on their way to another impressive victory against another quality opponent, teasing a drastic turnaround and a late push for the final play-in spot.
Instead, an all-too familiar collapse in the fourth quarter and another double-digit lead vanishing in the second half halted what would have been the team's first four-game winning streak of the season.
"Kind of the story of the season," Julius Randle said after the 118-114 loss to Ja Morant and the Grizzlies. "There's been a couple of games we kind of lost it at the end."
New York led by 15 late in the third quarter after coming out on fire to start the second half, but shot just 27.3 percent from the field in the fourth quarter as Morant and company came alive and reminded their home crowd why they are a force in the Western Conference.
Randle, who has been looking more like last year's self on the offensive end of late, shot just 1-for-5 in the final period after exploding through three quarters. He finished with 36 points.
"I judge a lot of things in how you can get better as an individual, how can I help this team win more games,'' Randle said. "I still feel I have to find a way to close out games better individually and help us more as a team down the stretch."
The team as a whole has struggled to close out games all season, leaving many to wonder where this team would be in terms of the playoff picture if it had performed down the stretch like it did during last year's surprising run. Instead, Memphis' drastic awakening on Friday night halted the faint sense of hope New York had built with its three-game winning streak, and instead provided a tough reminder that the Knicks' season is likely headed towards an end without another playoff berth.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
