INDIANA 121, MEMPHIS 111
Dunleavy, Granger keep record intact
At Memphis | Nov. 3, 2007
On the wings, Mike Dunleavy and Danny Granger are flowing over, around and through the defense.
Inside, Jermaine O'Neal – even in limited minutes – is proving a dominant defensive force and a surprising playmaker on the offensive end.
Out front, Jamaal Tinsley is conducting the offensive orchestra with remarkably few sour notes.
So far, it's all good for the Pacers.
Indiana improved to 3-0 with a 121-111 victory in Memphis Saturday night as Dunleavy and Granger combined for 50 points. After needing second-half rallies to win their first two, the Pacers had to withstand a Memphis comeback in the fourth quarter as their 16-point lead early in the fourth dwindled to four with 5:38 left but they buckled down and pulled away.
“We played at the right tempo, the kind of tempo we wanted to play," said Dunleavy, who scored 27 points, his most since joining the Pacers midway through last season. "We played well defensively. … We have some guys that can make plays and make shots. So go out there and let it flow. That is what we are trying to get done."
The Pacers jumped out to a 14-3 lead and never trailed but hardly coasted. Memphis used a 14-2 run in the fourth quarter to close to 105-101. That surge was helped along by a five-point possession: Tinsley was hit with a flagrant foul against Kyle Lowry, who made both free throws. Rudy Gay then converted a three-point play. After Pau Gasol scored to cut the lead to four with 5:38 remaining, the defense dug in and Memphis didn't make a field goal for nearly five minutes.
"I think a lot of guys are playing well," said Coach Jim O'Brien. "I think Mike Dunleavy is playing at a very high level, Jermaine is great defensively, I think Jamaal’s assist ratio is off the chart at 25 to 6. We are getting a lot of really good contributions from the team."
Granger scored 23, Tinsley 14 with seven assists, O'Neal 13 with five rebounds and Kareem Rush and Ike Diogu 12 apiece off the bench for the Pacers, who shot 52.8 percent.
Lowry's career-high 19 off the bench led Memphis (0-2), with Gasol scoring 18 with 10 rebounds. The Grizzlies outscored the Pacers 37-23 from the free-throw line but missed 14 of their 51 attempts and committed 27 turnovers.
“We have become a strong-minded team early in the season and I think that is the reason we are 3-0 right now," said O'Neal. "We are playing some really good basketball right now but we still have a lot of growth."
Memphis Coach Mark Iavaroni has yet to find a way to contain the Pacers, who racked up 383 points – an average of 122.7 – in three games against the Grizzlies, including two in the preseason.
"They are physical, and they trap and commit," Iavaroni said. "They expose teams that won't take care of the ball."
NOTEWORTHY