Zach Randolph dominated his former team Saturday night. PHOTO BY OREN VOURMAN / LSV

NEW YORK – In Zach Randolph’s only visit to Madison Square Garden on the year, the one-time Knick got the better of his former club, pouring in a team-high 31 points and a Memphis Grizzlies franchise-best 25 rebounds in a 120-109 win over New York Saturday night.

Playing for his fourth team in eight seasons, the former Michigan State standout was a menace in the paint, grabbing boards and filling the stat sheet with points. He also excelled at the free throw line, converting on 11-of-13 attempts.

Knicks forward and sixth man Al Harrington went shot-for-shot with Randolph and also finished with a team-high 31 points to lead New York. The Knicks, however, were unable to contain the likes of Grizzlies 7-foot-1 center Marc Gasol (25 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists) and the emerging talent of forward Rudy Gay (27 points) who is trying to carve out a name for himself in the crowded Western Conference.

While Randolph was a man on a mission, “I like to play well against all of them [former teams that include the Clippers, Trailblazers and Knicks),” it was Gasol, who took calculated risks by sporting sideline jumpers, as he bodied his way into the paint, spinning in and out, while finally letting fly a no-backboard 6-footer with a sense of melancholy and ease.

Gay, on the other hand, was both a shooter and a slasher, connecting on 10-of-18 field goals, and making good on 3 of 4 3-point shots. Deadly from both inside and out, Gay led all scorers with 12 fourth quarter points.

With the Knicks trailing 107-99 and 5:41 remaining in regulation, New York would go on an 8-0 run to tie the game up at 107-107, with 4:02 left to play. It was at that crucial juncture in the game where the Knicks had every opportunity to put away the Grizzlies and simply did not; missing key shots and defending the paint the way diplomats pay parking tickets.

“I just thought that they wore us down after a while,” said Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni. “I just thought we got wore down by their strength, and their height, and their weight, and we paid for it a little bit.”

Rudy Gay's jumper was the perfect compliment to Randolph's inside game. PHOTO BY OREN VOURMAN / LSV

While the Knicks bench handily outscored the Grizzlies’ reserves 61-9, more than half of those points came from Harrington, who hit a season-high 6 of 11 from downtown.

After playing in his first All-Star game more than a week ago in Dallas, David Lee contributed a solid 21 points and seven rebounds.

Newcomer Eddie House scored 15 points for the Knicks off the bench, while starter Tracy McGrady had zero points in 15 minutes, missing all three of his field goals, and finished with three boards and two assists.

“Obviously they’ve been playing and you know what they can do,” said Gasol on the Knicks’ newest acquisitions. “Sergio can knock down the outside shot and make plays for his teammates and House can make a lot of shots in a small amount of time.”

For now, the Knicks have time, as the most anticipated offseason in NBA history is only five months away. A mix between March madness and Christmas in July awaits.

NOTES: With the loss, the Knicks (20-38) are now 2-12 in the second game of a back-to-back…With the win Memphis (30-29) has now won their last four road games…Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was in attendance, professing to this reporter:"I'm hungry for a win." Morgan, who is currently co-starring with Bruce Willis in a new motion picture, Cop Out, didn't get his wish, but his sense of humor was much appreciated on a difficult night for fans and Knick beat reporters alike. 

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