Knicks Vs. Grizzlies: Carmelo Anthony Injured; Memphis Wins Big

The story for the Knicks goes well beyond this game. They lost Carmelo Anthony to a sprained right ankle in the middle of the pivotal third quarter — after which Memphis blew the game open — and he didn’t return. He underwent X-rays and the team is anxiously awaiting those results, as they’ve been terrible when he hasn’t been on the floor for them, and he’s leading them in scoring and assists (26.6 and 4.5 per game before Thursday).

Gay was phenomenal before and after Anthony got hurt, however, scoring 18 on 8-9 shooting in 18 minutes in the first half, finishing with 26 points and five boards. O.J. Mayo also came off the bench on fire, finishing with 18 points on 7-12 shooting, 4-7 from deep. Marc Gasol finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and five assists to go with phenomenal defense on the Knicks’ bigs, piling up four blocks.

Anthony had previously injured what appeared to be his left arm or wrist earlier in the game, but he stayed in and sank two long jump shots to assuage any concerns that it would affect his play. He could not, apparently, play through his ankle injury. The injury was an ugly one; he stepped awkwardly scrambling for a loose ball and the ankle rolled all the way until it touched the ground.

‘Melo is leading the Knicks in scoring with 26.6 points a game entering the Grizzlies match. He’s also leading the team with 4.5 assists per game, which probably speaks more to the Knicks’ problems at point guard than his passing ability. Regardless, the Knicks offense hasn’t been terrific when Anthony’s been on the floor, but it’s been terrible without him in the game all season. This game has been no different, as the Knicks quickly went down by more than 20 without him.

Game Date/Time: Thursday, Jan. 12, 8:00 p.m. ET

Venue: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee