Legitimate NBA teams, real playoff contenders, beat up bad teams — even on the road. That’s what the Memphis Grizzlies did Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, defeating the New York Knicks 127-106 to reach the .500 mark at 24-24.

Near game’s end, the Knicks took exception. With an 18-point lead and 48.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies’ Jae Crowder tried to shoot a corner 3-pointer. The Knicks’ Elfrid Payton shoved Crowder to the ground and for a few moments, there was risk for a real brawl.

When things settled down, Payton had been assessed a flagrant-2 foul and ejected and Crowder had been ejected. The Knicks’ Marcus Morris Sr., who got in the middle of things, also was tossed out of the game.

By that point, it was evident the Grizzlies would reach .500 for the first time since they were 18-18 on Dec. 31 of last season. And they did it on the second night of a back-to-back after beating Denver at FedExForum on Tuesday.

“We came out and played really hard even though we were tired,” rookie forward Brandon Clarke (17 points off the bench) said in a postgame TV interview.

Clarke said the Grizzlies had not spent much time specifically talking about getting to .500, but added, “It’s a goal we kind of have always had. We’re just trying to make that push.”

Dillon Brooks led Memphis with 27 points. Ja Morant posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists (0 turnovers) and his +/- was an absurd +42.

Now on a four-game winning streak, the Grizzlies continue to hold the eighth and last playoff spot in the Western Conference. They are 9-2 over their last 11 games.

Ahead by seven points at halftime, the Grizzlies pushed their lead to as many as 22 points in the third quarter. The Knicks (13-36) pulled to within 10 points early in the fourth quarter, but never cut the lead to single digits.

Crowder had 18 points and eight rebounds and center Jonas Valanciunas notched another double-double with 12 points and 13 boards.

Josh Jackson plays

Wednesday’s game also featured the long-awaited debut of Josh Jackson, recently called up from the G League Memphis Hustle where he was averaging 20.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Jackson got four minutes in the second quarter, missed the only shot he took, and grabbed one rebound.

After Crowder was ejected late in the game but due three free throws, Knicks coach Mike Miller (no, not that Mike Miller) was allowed to pick the Grizzly to shoot free throws and asked for Jackson. He hit all three, his only points of the game.

Numerology

• The Grizzlies improved to 5-2 when playing the second night of a back-to-back.
• Ja Morant’s recent struggles at the free throw line continued as he went 4 of 8.
• Morris led New York with 17 points, forward Julius Randle had 16 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, and Payton finished with 15 points and 11 assists.
• Marko Guduric, who until recently had been in Grizzlies’ cold storage, had a solid 13 minutes off the bench and scored five points.
• Backup point guard Tyus Jones chipped in 12 points and four assists.
• The Grizzlies shot 50% from the floor and hit 13 of 28 from 3-point range for 46.4%.
• Once again, the Grizzlies won points in the paint (58-48).
• Brandon Clarke added five rebounds, three steals and an assist to his 17 points.