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Game Rewind: Pacers 89, Grizzlies 97

Game Recap

The shorthanded Pacers opened a double-digit lead over the visiting Grizzlies on Friday night, but Memphis used a huge run in the third quarter to retake control and ultimately exit Bankers Life Fieldhouse with a 97-89 win.

The Pacers (1-1) led 61-48 following Roy Hibbert's bank shot with 9:11 remaining in the third quarter. But the Grizzlies (2-0) dominated the next several minutes, outscoring Indiana 26-2 over a 7:04 spurt to open up a double-digit lead of their own.

Overall, Memphis outscored the Blue-and-Gold 33-14 in the third period, forcing Indiana into six turnovers and committing none. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies' bruise brothers, combined for 20 points and nine rebounds in the decisive quarter.

"As a veteran team, a playoff team, they stepped up their pressure and that’s what good teams do," Pacers guard C.J. Miles said of the Grizzlies' second-half surge. "Play like that comes with experience, we’re a team that needs to figure that out."

Indiana never seriously threatened in the fourth quarter, as Memphis maintained at least a three-possession lead the rest of the way. On the night, the Grizzlies forced Indiana into 18 turnovers while only committing nine.

"We should be able to do better than that, no matter the situation," Pacers head coach Frank Vogel said of Indiana's turnover problems. "I thought we played well except for the first six minutes and all the third quarter. They just imposed their will in the third quarter and locked us down."

It was indeed a slow start for Indiana. Luis Scola committed four early turnovers and Hibbert picked up his second foul less than five minutes into Friday's contest. But after Memphis opened up a 21-10 lead, the Pacers closed the first quarter with a 9-2 run to get within four.

For the second straight game, Pacers guard Rodney Stuckey provided a big lift off the bench. Stuckey, who scored 16 points in 16 minutes in Wednesday's season opener, scored six points during an 18-5 Pacers run to start the second quarter.

The Blue-and-Gold also got an unexpected lift off the bench from Damjan Rudez. The Croatian had struggled from beyond the 3-point line during the preseason, but drained all three of his shots from long distance in the quarter.

The Pacers extended their lead to as many as 13 points on Hibbert's dunk with 1:34 left in the half, but the Grizz closed the period with a 7-2 run to get within eight.

Indiana shot a red-hot 54 percent from the field in the first half, hitting seven of their 14 3-point attempts. The Pacers outscored Memphis 34-22 in the second quarter and pushed the lead to 13 in the second half before the Grizzlies' decisive run.

Randolph finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Gasol added 20 and six for the victorious squad from Beale Street.

Chris Copeland led five Pacers in double figures, finishing with 16 points and six rebounds.

The Blue-and-Gold now hit the road for the first time this season, heading to Atlanta to play the Hawks on Saturday night at Philips Arena.

Inside the Numbers

Despite the loss, the Pacers got 49 points from their bench, the most by Indiana's reserves since they scored 50 in a win over the Lakers on Feb. 25, 2014. Copeland had 16, Stuckey added 10 points and five assists, and Rudez chipped in 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting. Lavoy Allen had eight points and 10 rebounds, his second double-digit rebounding game with the Pacers.

Two starters also scored in double figures for the Blue-and-Gold. Miles had 13 points and four rebounds, while point guard Donald Sloan had another strong outing, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, and seven assists.

The Grizzlies got to the foul line 27 times to Indiana's 16. Memphis was 20-for-27 from the charity stripe (74 percent), while the Pacers were 13-for-16 (81 percent).

For Randolph, it was his second 20-10 game to start the season. Randolph recorded a double-double even if you omit his first-half stats. The Marion, Ind. native totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds after halftime.

After combining for 57 points and 22 rebounds in their season opener against Minnesota, Gasol and Randolph totaled 42 and 19 on Friday.

You Can Quote Me On That

"When they put Tayshaun Prince at the wing alongside Tony Allen at the wing and Conley at the point and those two big guys on the inside, that's one of the best defenses in the NBA. They just imposed their will in that quarter. They locked us down. We couldn't get any good looks. You have to credit their defense." -Pacers head coach Frank Vogel

"We kind of got stagnant in the second half...I think we kind of got away from moving the ball side-to-side and stuff like that, getting them on the move." -Pacers guard Rodney Stuckey

"This is a league of runs. The key is, don’t get into too deep of a hole. We got into one. They are a good team and they did what good teams do. We can learn a lot from a team like this." -Pacers center Ian Mahinmi

"We knew we came out lackadaisical. But for the most part, we knew what we were doing wrong...The first thing that happened in the third quarter was that our bigs took the initiative to be more aggressive in the pick and roll, making the point guard and the two-guard go out toward half court, and giving our guys a little more time to get back. We were all tied together on the defensive end and that’s what stood out." -Grizzlies guard Tony Allen

"It was all defense. The first half, we had a mixture of our shots not falling and us not getting the stops when we needed them. In that third quarter, me and Zach (Randolph) finally got to see the ball go in the hole, got the defensive stops we needed and got out in transition and got some easy buckets." -Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley

"For me, Zach, and C. Lee (Courtney Lee), this is home. For us to come home and win in front of family and friends and all the people that we love, it’s always awesome. This is always the game that’s starred on the schedule. It’s a big one." -Conley on winning in his hometown (Conley, Randolph, and Lee are all from central Indiana)

Stat of the Game

The Grizzlies' 26-2 run in the third quarter clearly swung the game in Memphis' favor. Over that stretch, the Pacers made just 1-of-11 shots and committed four turnovers.

Noteworthy

  • Grizzlies guard Courtney Lee was taken to the locker room after being kneed in the head late in the second quarter. He did not return.
  • This was the seventh straight game between Memphis and Indiana in which neither team scored 100 points. That is the second-longest active streak in the NBA — the Bulls and Nets have played eight consecutive games without either team cracking 100.
  • With the win, the Grizzlies start a season 2-0 for the first time since 2000-01 and just the third time in franchise history.
  • Up Next

    The Blue-and-Gold now hit the road for the first time this season, heading to Atlanta to play the Hawks on Saturday night at Philips Arena.