The New York Knicks just lost to a Memphis Grizzlies team that was without Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Chandler Parsons. But despite a late technical on Courtney Lee, Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek is not blaming the officiating for the loss. He is blaming the poor play from his wards, according to an article by Marc Berman for the New York Post.
“They [Grizzlies] won the tip anyway. That had nothing to do with this game. It was from the start. We talked about setting the tone. We came out and I'm not happy with not closing out on guys, giving guys easy shots.”
The final score was 105-99. Grizzlies guard Tyreke Evans had 23 points and 10 assists, which was understandable because of his recent resurgence. However, it is obvious that the Knicks are not doing their best defensive efforts when JaMychal Green scores 18 points, while Dillon Brooks and Jarell Martin each have 17 points.
“These guys have been stars at college. They all have great confidence. If you let them get going, it's hard to shut somebody off. We let them get going early with no defense and we're down 18. Now all of a sudden [in the fourth] we want to play defense. That's what we should have been doing from the start.”
The Knicks currently have a record of 20-25. They will continue their Western trip with the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, and Phoenix Suns next.
If the Knicks are to make something out of this Western stretch, they will need to exert more effort on the defensive end.
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