Sunday, Jan. 29 at 6:00 PM ET at FedExForum
Pacers Practice Availability | January 28, 2023
Game Preview
Two teams that have sputtered in recent weeks will try to get back to winning ways this weekend in The Volunteer State.
The Indiana Pacers (24-27) will get a chance to even the season series in their second and final regular season meeting against the Memphis Grizzlies (31-18) on Sunday at FedExForum.
Both Indiana and Memphis have struggled as of late, as the Pacers are 1-9 over their last 10 games and the Grizzlies have lost five games – all on the road – in a row.
Indiana enters the game coming off a 141-131 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night in Indianapolis.
The Pacers trailed by as many as 33 points against the Bucks, and gave up the most points in a first half in franchise history when they trailed 85-56 at halftime. In the second half, however, it was all Indiana, as the Pacers outscored the Bucks 75-56 in the final 24 minutes – getting within seven points in the final frame.
Six players scored in double figures for the Pacers, led by 24 points from Myles Turner, 22 by Buddy Hield and 21 by rookie Bennedict Mathurin. T.J. McConnell also had a strong outing with 19 points, nine assists and six rebounds for the Blue & Gold.
McConnell has been putting up solid numbers while taking over starting point guard duties for Tyrese Haliburton, who has been sidelined with left knee and elbow sprains since Jan. 11. Over the last 10 games, McConnell is averaging 14.2 points, 7.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game and is shooting 64.6 percent.
Mathurin has scored at least 20 points in each of the last four games and continues to lead all bench players in scoring.
During the recent 10-game stretch, the Pacers are averaging 114.6 points on 44.1 percent shooting (31.0 percent from 3-point range), 46.3 rebounds and 17.9 turnovers per game.
Despite the recent streak of losses, the Grizzlies still sit in second place in the Western Conference, trailing just the Denver Nuggets (34-15). The Grizzlies have been particularly good at home, with a record of 20-3 on their own floor.
The Grizzlies have ranked among the top scoring teams all season, and currently sit fifth at 117.5 per game – including No. 1 in points in the paint per game (59.4) and second in fastbreak points (17.9). They’ve also been dominant on the defensive end, ranking second in defensive rating at 109.8.
Memphis also is the top rebounding team in the NBA at 48.7 per game.
Memphis is led by All-Star point guard Ja Morant, the 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year and the 2022 Most Improved Player, who is averaging 27.3 points on 46.5 percent shooting, 8.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game this season.
Six players are averaging double digits in scoring, with Desmond Bane (21.6), Jaren Jackson Jr. (16.2) and Dillon Brooks (15.8) all putting up more than 15 points per contest.
This time around, the Grizzlies will be without center Steven Adams, who will be sidelined for three to five weeks due to a knee injury. Adams ranks fourth in rebounding average among all players at 11.5 per game.
The Grizzlies enter the game coming off a 111-100 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. Morant had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in the game.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G - T.J. McConnell, G - Chris Duarte, F - Buddy Hield, F - Aaron Nesmith, C - Myles Turner
Grizzlies: G - Ja Morant, G - Ziaire Williams, F - Jaren Jackson Jr., F - Dillon Brooks, C - Brandon Clarke
Injury Report
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton - out (left elbow sprain, left knee sprain), Daniel Theis - out (right knee surgery)
Grizzlies: Kennedy Chandler - available (nasal fracture/face mask), Desmond Bane - doubtful (sore right knee), Danny Green - doubtful (left knee surgery recovery), Steven Adams - out (right knee PCL sprain), John Konchar - out (concussion protocol)
Last Meeting
Jan. 14, 2023: Riding an eight-game winning streak, the Grizzlies continued their hot play by topping the Pacers 130-112 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Grizzlies led 68-52 at halftime and didn’t trail the rest of the way as they cruised to the win.
Memphis took advantage of 19 Indiana turnovers by outscoring the Blue & Gold 38-13 in fastbreak points. Memphis also held a 70-46 advantage in points in the paint despite being outrebounded 49-45.
Six players scored in double figures for the Grizzlies, led by 25 points from Bane and 23 from Morant, who also had 10 assists. With the big lead heading into the final frame, neither Morant or Bane played in the fourth quarter.
Chris Duarte scored 25 points off the bench and Mathurin had 16 points to lead the Pacers.
From the field, the Pacers shot 36.9 percent, including 23.4 percent from 3-point range, while the Grizzlies shot 55.2 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from deep.
Noteworthy
- Hield is just four 3-pointers away from becoming the third player in Pacers franchise history to make 200 3-pointers in a single season. Reggie Miller holds the franchise record with 229 in 1996-97 and Paul George made 210 in 2015-16.
- Rookie Andrew Nembhard returned on Friday for the Pacers and played 20 minutes off the bench after missing two games due to a non-COVID illness.
- Jaren Jackson Jr. started his high school career with Park Tudor School in Indianapolis before transferring to La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind. for his senior year. Bane is a native of Richmond, Indiana, and played high school basketball there. Grizzlies rookie Jake LaRavia is from Indianapolis and graduated from Lawrence Central.
- The Pacers’ Oshae Brissett, Nembhard, and Mathurin, as well as the Grizzlies’ Brooks and Clarke are all Canadian.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (studio host)
Tickets
The Pacers welcome LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>