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Toney Douglas (#23)

Anyone who follows the New York knicks already knows that the team has arguably the most potent offense in the Eastern Conference. Granted, at times the offense can be hit and miss. And on occasion, it is one-dimensional. But by and large, it is effective, as evidenced by their 34-32 record prior to their at Madison Square Garden against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night.

Blame it on the St. Patrick’s Day uniforms or even the shoes that the Knicks wore. Regardless of the reason, the 3-point arc was New York’s best friend as they connected on a franchise-record 20 treys (20-of-36), allowing them to blast Memphis 120-99, sending the Grizzlies to within 1 1/2 games ahead of the 9th place Utah Jazz in the Western Conference playoff chase and elevating them just percentage points ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers for the #6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.

Neither team stood out in the first quarter, with both teams holding no more than a four-point lead which ended tied at 29-all. Toney Douglas, who is dangerous when his outside shot falls regularly, drained 5-for-6 behind the arc for 15 points in the second quarter as the Knicks took a 59-51 lead to their locker room at the break.

New York turned an eight-point lead into a blowout by connecting on seven 3-pointers in the third quarter. Chauncey Billups it a pair of 3s in the period while scoring 12 points, while Douglas closed the quarter with two treys of his own in the final 34 seconds of the third as the Knicks built a 92-74 lead going into the fourth.

New York would coast for the remaining 12 minutes of the final period, icing the victory.

Douglas came off the bench to lead the Knicks in scoring with a game-high 29 points (including tying a team record with nine 3-pointers), along with 2 rebounds and 3 assists while Carmelo Anthony added 28 (including three treys) with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Billups chipped in 18 with 8 assists and 2 steals while Amare Stoudemire scored 16 with 9 rebounds and 3 assists.

The Grizzlies has six players who scored in double-digits, led by Mike Conley with 16 points, along with 4 rebounds and 6 assists while Darrell Arthur added 15 with 7 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal. Tony Allen and Zach Randolph each chipped in 14 – with Allen grabbing 4 rebounds, dishing out an assist, along with 3 steals while Randolph grabbed 6 boards, dished out an assist, along with a steal.

New York (35-32) plays again on Friday night when they visit Detroit and face the Pistons while Memphis (37-32) returns home to host the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.