Indiana Pacers drop game in Memphis during Ja Morant's home return for Grizzlies
The Indiana Pacers played their fifth game in seven nights on Thursday as they took on the Grizzlies in Memphis. It was Ja Morant's fist game of the season in Memphis after serving a suspension to start the season. He had 34 points in his season debut on Tuesday.
Indiana, meanwhile, ended a losing streak on Wednesday night and got a much-needed win over the Hornets. They were hoping to continue their defensive success from that outing in Memphis.
The game went back-and-forth early, with both teams trading baskets until the score was 6-6. Each group was able to get whatever shot they wanted, so the opening minutes were high scoring.
The atmosphere in Memphis was electric. Grizzlies fans broke out a "De-fense" chant less than four minutes into the game. They were excited to watch Morant again, which added juice to the duel.
After five minutes of action, the score was still tied. It was 12-12. Buddy Hield had already knocked down a few outside shots for the blue and gold, which kept the Pacers in it.
Memphis, via a nice run from Jaren Jackson Jr, was the team who broke the game open. Jackson Jr had a few buckets in the middle of the quarter and extended the Grizzlies lead to nine. He was playing great, and his surge led to a timeout from Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle.
After the break, Andrew Nembhard, who was back from injury after a two-week absence, hit consecutive threes to cut into the lead. Indiana needed that run to keep themselves in it.
But Memphis answered, and they went up by 10 points late in the frame. The Pacers looked flat early and needed juice.
They didn't get it to close the quarter. The Grizzlies led 35-22 after one frame, and their star trio of Desmond Bane, Morant, and Jackson had 30 points alone. The Pacers were shooting under 32% and looked awful.
Indiana needed a strong start to the second period to get back into the game. It didn't happen. Memphis went on another mini-run to open the quarter and ballooned their lead to 22 quickly. They were doubling up the Pacers at 44-22 when Carlisle next took a timeout.
His team was getting smoked and needed answers. They finally ended the Grizzlies run after the timeout with an Obi Toppin three, but they still had a ton of work to do. They had to get going on offense, or this game could get ugly fast.
Indiana's offensive struggles continued as the half progressed. They average over 60 points per half but were at 32 total points with 5:20 to go in the second quarter. Some of their struggles came down to just missing shots, but Memphis looked fantastic on defense. The Pacers had little space to operate.
Star guard Tyrese Haliburton changed that. He got going with a few minutes left in the half, which helped the Pacers offense accelerate. They cut the lead down to 13 and gave themselves some hope.
Their run continued as the half winded down. The blue and gold slashed the lead down to seven with 1:06 to go before the break, which prompted a Grizzlies timeout. Suddenly, it was a game again.
At halftime, Memphis led 58-56. Indiana went on a 27-6 run to end the second quarter, and it took them less than six minutes to do it. They finally hit their stride and were right in the game again.
The second half started with the Pacers knotting the game up at 60 after less than 90 seconds. The blue and gold had erased the Grizzlies' 23-point lead from the first half quickly and had a chance to get a road victory.
Not long after, Haliburton hit a three to give the Pacers their first lead of the night. Suddenly, Indiana had a ton of momentum. They were feeling good after an awful start to the game.
After the impressive surge, though, the Pacers went cold for four-straight possessions. Their lead evaporated quickly as Memphis led by five with six minutes to go in the third quarter.
The Grizzlies kept pushing in the ensuing stretch. After going down by three, they went on a 16-4 run to push their lead back to nine. They recaptured momentum, which was important even after Indiana ended their run.
The Pacers responded, though, and kept the game close. Even with the energy in the building favoring Memphis at that moment, the blue and gold were back playing their best. It was 78-77 with just over two minutes left in the period.
To close the quarter, the home team was better. They went on an 8-0 run to finish the frame, and Memphis led 86-77 heading into the final section of the game. Toppin's 16 led the way for the blue and gold.
Entering winning time, the Grizzlies kept rolling. Any momentum or life that the Pacers had was gone. Memphis took a 16-point lead after 69 seconds of the fourth quarter, and the crowd was back into it.
The Pacers stabilized and were able to cut the lead down to 11 a few times, giving themselves a chance late. They were going to need a strong close to the half again if they were going to win.
Memphis extended their lead, though, pushing Indiana's margin of error to effectively zero. The blue and gold needed to be perfect for the final six minutes.
Indiana began to intentionally foul Xavier Tillman in an attempt to slow the Grizzlies offense. He made 1/4 of his foul shots before being taken out of the game, and the Pacers cut the lead to 13 in that stretch.
With 2:25 to go, Indiana slashed the advantage down to 10. They had a shot to steal this game, but anything short of perfect play late wasn't going to cut it.
They didn't get it. Instead, Memphis was better to close the game, and they were headed toward a victory. With some "M-V-P" chants raining down on Morant, he put the game away at the foul line.
In the end, the Grizzlies beat the Pacers 116-103. Indiana is now 14-13 and has lost five of their last six games. 103 is their lowest total of the season.
Haliburton finished with 17 points and 14 assists. Toppin led Indiana with 22 points. Indiana shot just 42.2% as a team.
The Pacers next play on Saturday when they host the Orlando Magic.
- James Johnson back with Indiana Pacers to provide wisdom and toughness. CLICK HERE.
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- Pacers guard Isaiah Wong developing his point guard skills in the G League. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers end losing streak with much-needed win over Charlotte Hornets. CLICK HERE.
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