Friday, Dec. 18 at Memphis
Familiar faces torch Pacers
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END RESULT
Indiana natives Zach Randolph and Mike Conley combined for 45 points and all five Memphis starters scored at least 17 -- more than any Pacers player – as the Grizzlies seized control in the third quarter and rolled to a 107-94 victory Friday in FedExForum. The Pacers led by nine late in the first half but managed just five points in a 10-minute span as Memphis pulled away.
IMPACT
The Pacers lost for the second time in three games and slipped to 9-15 overall, 3-9 on the road. Memphis had lost two in a row but improved to 11-15 overall, 7-5 at home and 10-7 since waiving Allen Iverson.
KEY MOMENTS
Conley and Randolph got the Grizzlies going early as they jumped out to a 20-8 lead. The Pacers closed to 28-24 by the end of the period and then slowly moved ahead in the second behind the hot shooting of T.J. Ford, who scored 10 in the second quarter as the lead grew to nine late in the half. But Memphis simply took over from there.
The Grizzlies scored the first 10 of the second half and outscored the Pacers 28-5 in the first eight minutes of the period as Indiana missed 13 of 15 shots. Tyler Hansbrough brought a second-half spark off the bench as the Pacers cut it to 83-73 heading into the fourth and his three free throws made it 86-80 with 8:42 left.
But Randolph and O.J. Mayo keyed a 14-2 Memphis run that pushed the lead back to 100-82 with 4½ minutes left in the game and the Pacers offered no further challenges.
BY THE NUMBERS
Mike Dunleavy exceeded his 24-minute limit (again), playing 26 and scoring 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Ford also scored 16 on 7-of-13 shooting but had just one assist in 23 minutes. Dahntay Jones made all six of his shots and scored 14 off the bench, adding five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block, Hansbrough also scored 14 with four rebounds but shot 4-of-13. Earl Watson scored 10 with eight rebounds.
The Pacers shot 40.7 percent overall and were 3-of-21 from the 3-point line and had just 15 assists on 35 baskets. They also were outrebounded 48-42.
Randolph equaled his career average against the Pacers with 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting, adding 16 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. May scored 20 with six assists, while Conley had 19 including a career-high five 3-pointers with eight assists and five rebounds. Rudy Gay had 18 points and four steals and Marc Gasol had 17 points and 14 rebounds. Memphis got 100 points from its starters but just seven from the bench, including three points from former Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley.
The Grizzlies shot 47.2 percent and made 8-of-14 from the 3-point line.