MEMPHIS, Tenn.- Earl Watson scored a career-high 22 points, missing only one of his 10 shots, and Mike Miller added 20 last night to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 96-88 victory over the Knicks.

Watson, filling in after starter Jason Williams (sprained right ankle) went on the injured list, also had five assists.

The Grizzlies led by as many as 15 late in the third period, and the Knicks got no closer than the final margin in the fourth quarter while dropping their third straight.

Jamal Crawford led the Knicks with 17 points, while Tim Thomas and Nazr Mohammed contributed 16 each and Kurt Thomas scored 12. New York’s leading scorer, Stephon Marbury, had nine points and nine assists but hit only two of his 12 shots from the field.

Memphis opened the game by scoring the first 10 points, with Watson scoring five, and eventually led by 12 in the first half. The Grizzlies benefited from some early mishandling by the Knicks, but also from a strong inside game. Cuts to the basket led to several dunks, contributing to a 22-14 first-half advantage on points in the paint.

New York used 11 second-quarter points from Tim Thomas to cut into the Memphis lead, although the Grizzlies held on for a 49-47 advantage at intermission. Miller’s last basket of the half, a dunk with 4:17 left in the second quarter, led to an awkward fall to the court. Miller immediately went to the locker room with a sprained right wrist. He returned to start the second half.

The Knicks took their first lead, 52-50, on Tim Thomas’s 3-pointer 92 seconds into the third quarter.

Getting eight points from Jake Tsakalidis, the Grizzlies used a 19-4 run to build its biggest lead of the game, 78-63, capped by Shane Battier’s drive late in the third quarter.

Despite being activated yesterday, Knicks guard Allan Houston did not dress for the game.