The New York Knicks weren't going to give the Memphis Grizzlies any hope Tuesday. New York came out fast, and its best player, Jalen Brunson, was hot.

Memphis has done a good job of getting off to strong starts throughout most of its previous five games, but the Knicks led by nine after the first quarter and never relinquished the lead.

The Grizzlies dropped their sixth consecutive game in a 123-113 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Memphis (18-33) was led by Vince Williams Jr. with 19 points in his return to the lineup.

The Knicks (33-18) got 27 points from Brunson. He injured an ankle midway through the fourth quarter and did not return to the game.

After trailing by 28 points, the Grizzlies went on an 18-1 run in the fourth quarter to get to nine points behind after a Jacob Gilyard 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter. David Roddy hit a 3-pointer with two minutes left that made it a four-point game before Knicks guard Donte Divincenzo followed that possession with a 3-pointer.

Divincenzo led the Knicks with 32 points on 12-for-18 shooting.

Here are some takeaways from the game.

More Grizzlies available

Vince Williams Jr., Santi Aldama, Derrick Rose and John Konchar all were active for Memphis after missing Saturday's game against the Boston Celtics. Even with those players back, Memphis unveiled a new starting lineup for the 31st time this season. Missing Jaren Jackson Jr. and Xavier Tillman Sr. led to Memphis being shorthanded against a big Knicks frontcourt. That difference led to New York dominating the points in the paint battle.

Rose left the game in the third quarter because of right ankle soreness. He finished with seven points and two assists in 12 minutes.

No answer for Jalen Brunson

The return of Williams meant the Grizzlies had their ace defender against Brunson, the Knicks' leading scorer. Whether it was Williams or any other Grizzlies player, there wasn't an answer for Brunson on Tuesday. The Knicks guard played under control despite Williams' activity on defense and patiently got to his midrange spots. The 6-foot-1 guard used his elite footwork to create space. Brunson had 17 points in the first quarter, including a buzzer-beater in the final seconds.

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Turnovers haunt Grizzlies

The Grizzlies' lack of continuity on offense is being revealed more. The Grizzlies had 11 first-half turnovers The Knicks took advantage and dominated the game in transition scoring and points off turnovers. The Knicks had a 17-3 advantage in points off turnovers through three quarters before Memphis made its fourth-quarter run.

One area in which Memphis didn't struggle was shooting 3-pointers. Memphis made 21 3-pointers, including nine in the fourth quarter. Early turnovers put Memphis in too big of a hole despite its red-hot fourth-quarter shooting.

What's next

The Grizzlies will return home on Thursday for a game against the Chicago Bulls. The game will tip off four hours after the NBA's trade deadline, so the Memphis roster could look different.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies catch fire too late in loss to New York Knicks