Ja Morant's triple-double leads the Memphis Grizzlies past the New York Knicks

The Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks went to overtime in their first meeting to open the season, and the second matchup Sunday felt like it was headed in the same direction.

The Grizzlies were up two points with six seconds remaining after Grizzlies star Ja Morant made one of two free throws.

The Knicks' Jalen Brunson found a groove in the fourth quarter, and the Grizzlies had one more chance to stop him. He drove to the basket and tried to split a double team, but Brandon Clarke contested his running floater enough to force a miss.

The Grizzlies defeated the Knicks 127-123 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Memphis (12-8) led by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter before Brunson got hot. The Knicks (9-11) shot 67% in the fourth quarter.

Morant led the Grizzlies with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists for his fifth triple-double. Steven Adams finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Dillon Brooks scored 23 points.

Brunson led the Knicks with 30 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter.

Here are some takeaways from the game.

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Grizzlies making rotation and minutes adjustments

The Grizzlies didn't have Xavier Tillman Sr. and Santi Aldama in Friday's win against the New Orleans Pelicans due to non-COVID illnesses. Both players were active Sunday. Aldama came off the bench and was one of the most impactful reserves.

Jake LaRavia surpassed David Roddy in minutes off the bench for the second consecutive game. Roddy had been getting the bigger role, but LaRavia has the upper hand now. The minutes between those two is important to monitor as the rotation opportunities shrink with Ziaire Williams and Desmond Bane projected to return in December.

Memphis continues to ramp up Jaren Jackson Jr.'s minutes with hopes of getting him to the low 30s per game, coach Taylor Jenkins said. Jackson hasn't averaged more than 28.5 minutes in any season.

Ja Morant makes adjustment

When the Grizzlies play the Knicks, New York often focuses its defense around slowing down Morant. When the Grizzlies star drove toward the basket Sunday, he was often met by a pack of New York defenders. Morant's adjustment was finding his open teammates when the Knicks keyed on him.

The Grizzlies haven't put up great shooting numbers with Desmond Bane injured, but that was one of the biggest differences Sunday. Memphis was efficient and effective on 3-pointers while containing the Knicks in the same manner.

Jackson made three 3-pointers and attacked the basket for some tough finishes in the fourth quarter. Jackson finished with 21 points on 8 of 19 shooting.

What's next

The Grizzlies will play at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday (6 p.m., Fox Sports Southeast). Memphis won the first meeting this season, but the Timberwolves (10-10) are starting to figure things out. They won five straight after the loss to the Grizzlies, then lost the past two games.