Can the Memphis Grizzlies extend win streak to five against the Knicks?

The Memphis Grizzlies have been playing their best basketball of the year. Jaren Jackson Jr. is still out with an injury, but Taylor Jenkins doesn’t seem to care. He hasn’t let an injury to his second-best player throw a corkscrew into their season.

In fact, despite a much more competitive Western Conference than a season ago, Jenkins has created a winning culture in Memphis.

After hovering around .500 for most of the year, the Grizzlies have finally hit their stride, winning in each of their previous four games. They’ve done this with four key contributors out of the lineup for at least two of the games.

The role players on this team have stepped up. Most notably, Grayson Allen has been playing the best basketball of his career.

Can the Memphis Grizzlies continue winning basketball games?

The Grizzlies are trending at the perfect time. With Jaren Jackson Jr.’s return set for the end of April, a winning record in this month could go a long way come playoff time. As things stand, the Grizzlies are pretty firmly in 8th place in the Western Conference.

They’ll get a test against an improved New York Knicks team led by Julius Randle and RJ Barrett. Unlike teams that the Grizz have played in recent games, the Knicks have hit a cold streak to begin April. They’ve lost in four of their last six matchups, going home with frowns on their faces in their last two games against tough opponents.

If the Grizzlies want their winning streak to continue, they have to play with ruthlessness. Too many times, we’ve watched this Memphis team allow lesser opponents to hang around, giving them time to close out the game and hand the Grizzlies a loss when they should have won.

If Taylor Jenkins’ team can slow down Julius Randle, at least a little bit, they should be able to secure a win.

There is no reason to believe that a red-hot Memphis Grizzlies team will take a loss against an ice-cold New York Knicks team, but that doesn’t seem too far fetched. Both of these teams have played at a similar level all year long, it’ll just be a matter of who is having a good night.

Whether or not Memphis gets the win, we can take solice in the fact that this should be a great, competitive basketball game. That said, Grizzlies fans will be hoping for a repeat of their blowout win over the Hawks.