Grizzlies roll over shorthanded Knicks

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As the losses piled up on the New York Knicks, so did the possibility of major change. Players didn’t believe it was a matter of if team president Phil Jackson would make moves, but a matter of when.

“We knew something was coming,” guard Jose Calderon said after the Memphis Grizzlies dealt the depleted Knicks a 105-83 loss Monday night at FedExForum, sending the Knicks to their 12th straight defeat. “It’s a business.”

But the timing was jarring. Less than 30 minutes before tip-off, according to Calderon and guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who started at small forward Monday night, they learned they were losing three teammates as Jackson made moves to shed payroll and increase flexibility going forward.

The Knicks (5-32) already were short-handed with forward Carmelo Anthony, guard Iman Shumpert and forward Amar’e Stoudemire all inactive for the Memphis game and forward/center Andrea Bargnani out with a calf strain.

But then forward J.R. Smith was held out of the game as news broke that Smith, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2012-13, and Shumpert were part of a three-team deal that would send them to Cleveland and bring multiple players with non-guaranteed contracts (including Lance Thomas from Oklahoma City) to the Knicks. The Knicks reportedly will waive all those players, plus center Samuel Dalembert. The moves will save the Knicks more than $20 million in salary and luxury tax.

“I talked to each of the guys before the game,” Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. “It was tough. Phil’s just continuing to look at how we transition as we continue to change the culture. For now, at least, we go with what we have.”

On Monday night, that was just nine players. The Grizzlies (25-9), meanwhile, had 14 different players score as they were able to rest starters and main rotation players. Point guard Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Center Marc Gasol finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Both played fewer than 30 minutes as the Grizzlies took control early in the second half.

Given the competitiveness of the Western Conference, Gasol considered it a game that absolutely could not afford to lose.

“We’re known to lose against those teams,” he said. “We’re known to lose to teams that only have six, seven guys. Things like that happen and sadly we play to their level. I thought tonight we did a better job of executing. We had over 50 points (58) in the paint. That should be who we are.”

The Grizzlies put down the Knicks with a 37-point third quarter and carried an 84-62 lead into the final frame. Conley scored 14 points in the quarter and shooting guard Courtney Lee scored all 11 of his points in the quarter. Tony Allen finished with 14 points and seven steals; the seven steals are the highest for any player this season.

“He was locked in,” Memphis coach Dave Joerger said.

Memphis shot 52.4 percent from the floor (43 for 82) and scored 28 points off 21 New York turnovers. Memphis also won the boards 45-37.

The Knicks shot 43.4 percent (33 for 76). Forward Quincy Acy had a double-double off the bench with a career-high 19 points and career-best 14 rebounds. Calderon finished with 13 points with six assists and guard Shane Larkin handed out eight assists while scoring seven points. Hardaway Jr. finished with 12 points and forward Jason Smith added 10 points.

“We had to make some adjustments in terms of the things we could do,” Fisher said. “You saw us play some zone, which we hadn’t done before.”

Even after the game, Hardaway Jr. was still stunned by the trade and that it came so close to tip-off.

“That was my first real NBA moment,” he said. “Those guys taught me a lot of things. Those were my veterans.”

NOTES: New York F Carmelo Anthony sat out a third straight game Monday because of a sore knee. Anthony leads the Knicks with 23.9 points per game and also averages 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists. … Grizzlies PF Zach Randolph, who leads the team with 11.4 rebounds and averages 16.1 points per game, missed his eighth straight game Monday (sore knee). Memphis is 4-4 in those games without Randolph. … Asked before Monday’s game about players expressing frustration over a 5-31 start and what it would take to change their mind-set, Knicks coach Derek Fisher said: “It’ll take more than one win.” … Coming into Monday’s game, the Grizzlies had outscored opponents in the paint by an average of 6.0 points per game. That’s the best mark in the NBA. …The Knicks came in averaging just 39.53 rebounds per game, 29th in the league.