New York Knicks coach David Fizdale had to remind himself where to park at FedExForum when he came to Memphis as the opposing coach this weekend.
David Cobb, The Commercial Appeal
The Memphis Grizzlies' worst defensive stretch of the season set the stage for a most dramatic finish on Sunday.
But the hole Memphis dug itself during an abysmal third quarter proved too much to overcome during a furious fourth.
The New York Knicks and former Grizzlies coach David Fizdale escaped FedExForum with a 103-98 win.
Here are a few things to know:
Jaren Jackson Jr. changes game
The fourth overall pick played an awe-inspiring fourth quarter of defense for the Grizzlies.
Jackson brought the Grizzlies (12-7) back from a nine-point deficit as he set a new career-high with seven blocked shots.
Jackson blocked three shots in a 1:16 span following his 3-pointer that brought Memphis within 87-83 midway through the fourth quarter.
That stretch brought a previous sleepy crowd of 14,331 alive.
It couldn't negate an abysmal third quarter.
See where the Grizzlies stack up: Western Conference Standings
Grizzlies get stagnant
Marc Gasol and Fizdale's fraught relationship contributed to Fizdale's firing last season.
But Gasol credits Fizdale with helping him expand his range.
The big man's third 3-pointer of the game with 8:05 left in the third quarter gave the Grizzlies their largest lead yet at 66-53.
They seemed to think it would be enough.
But New York (7-14) outscored Memphis 25-8 the rest of the frame as Enes Kanter poured in 14 third-quarter points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
The Grizzlies were outscored 35-19 in the quarter.
Early defense
The Knicks entered averaging 114.8 points over their last six games. They surged to a quick 9-6 lead in the opening three minutes before Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff clapped his hands furiously on the sideline and implored the Grizzlies to shore up their defense.
New York struggled the rest of the half. Memphis took the lead 53 seconds later and held the Knicks to 34 percent shooting for the half, leading 52-43 at the break.
Fizdale hired Bickerstaff as an assistant in Memphis in 2016 and the two worked together until the Grizzlies fired Fizdale 19 games in to last season. His firing came during an 11-game losing streak that coincided with the end of Conley's season due to an Achilles injury.
Bickerstaff said he learned from the "championship pedigree" and attention to detail that Fizdale, a former two-time NBA champion assistant coach, brought to Memphis.
"You have to go out and every single day you’ve got to follow through with it," Bickerstaff said. "He’s a stickler for those things, and it was really helpful for me to be around him and actually work with him and see it every day.”
Up next
The Grizzlies host Eastern Conference leader Toronto on Tuesday (7 p.m., Fox Sports Southeast). The Raptors entered Sunday's action ranked third in the NBA in offensive rating and sixth in defensive rating.
Reach David Cobb at david.cobb@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @DavidWCobb.
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