NEW YORK _ The Garden was in full slumber _ and so were the Knicks _ before Courtney Lee buried that shot.
The home team had trailed for most of the first half, uninspired and uninspiring despite the return of Kristaps Porzingis. The malaise that encumbered the Knicks since Thanksgiving was carrying over.
But then they put together a run, and Lee lined up for that buzzer-beating 3-pointer to tie the score at the half.
It felt like an eraser mercifully wiping away two lackadaisical quarters. The Knicks, who trailed for 16 straight minutes and by as 12 until that shot, immediately jumped on the Grizzlies after the break and carried the momentum to a 99-88 victory Monday.
It snapped a two-game losing streak for New York (12-12), representing just its second win over the last seven games. Lee, who moved in the lineup from small forward to shooting guard because of the injury to Tim Hardaway Jr., was the catalyst with 24 points, including 10 in the third quarter when the Knicks took control of the game.
Right out of the break, they went on a 16-2 run and never looked back. When the Grizzlies again threatened by cutting the deficit to 6 with four minutes left, Lee, the night's hero, responded with a runner to kill the comeback.
He made up for Tim Hardaway Jr.'s absence and then some.
Three games prior, Porzingis twisted his foot in such a grotesque way he said his ankle touched the floor. But the diagnosis was positive _ a sprain with no severe ligament damage _ and he returned Monday night with a solid, albeit inefficient, performance.
The Latvian finished with 18 points on 8-of-19 shooting, playing second fiddle to Lee's inspired night. Enes Kanter notched another double-double with 12 points and 12 boards. Lance Thomas, making his first start of the season as Hardaway Jr.'s replacement, contributed 32 solid minutes defensively while recording eight points on just two shots.
The Grizzlies (8-16) are a bad team and a mess, having already this season fired their coach, David Fizdale, following public grumping from Marc Gasol.
Their point guard, Michael Conley Jr., has been out since Nov. 13 with a sore Achilles tendon and the season evaporated in his absence.
After Gasol, who finished with 17 points in 34 minutes, the talent level on that roster dips significantly. It couldn't keep up with the Knicks, who, counting Monday, has seven straight games against teams under .500.
They need to take advantage before the schedule turns atomic after Christmas.
"We have a lot of winnable games ahead of us," Porzingis said. "Not to go too far ahead, we have to go game by game and see how we play without Tim. I'm sure we'll find ways to win games. Most of the games that we won it's not just offense. It's mostly defense that got us the wins. If we keep doing that then we should be able to win games."
