by Wheat Hotchkiss
The Pacers faced a difficult task on Thursday night in Memphis, facing the Grizzlies on the second night of a back-to-back in a raucous environment as a sellout crowd descended on FedExForum to watch Ja Morant’s first home game since the All-Star guard returned from a 25-game suspension.
Morant and the Grizzlies raced out to a 23-point lead in the first half, but the Pacers stormed back, trimming the deficit to two by halftime and briefly taking the lead in the third quarter.
But ultimately, Indiana (14-13) ran out of gas in the second half, as the Grizzlies (8-19) pulled away late for a 116-103 win, their second straight victory with Morant back in the lineup.
Obi Toppin led five Pacers in double figures, scoring 22 points in the loss while going 5-for-8 from 3-point range. Tyrese Haliburton battled through an off shooting night and recorded another double-double with 17 points and 14 assists for Indiana.
Myles Turner stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, six rebounds, and three blocks, as did Aaron Nesmith, who tallied 14 points off the bench on 4-of-8 3-point shooting, five boards, four steals, and three blocks. Buddy Hield scored all 15 of his points from beyond the 3-point arc, while also tallying six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Desmond Bane scored a game-high 31 points to go along with six rebounds and seven assists for Memphis in the victory. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting and eight boards.
Morant finished with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting, five rebounds, and eight assists in his return to the court in Memphis. The NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2021-22 was suspended by the league for the first 25 games of the season because of repeated off-court issues. He returned on Tuesday in New Orleans, where he scored 34 points, capped by a buzzer-beating layup, before making his home debut on Thursday.
“Overall, this was a very tough game for a lot of reasons,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the loss. “We didn’t play well, but we kept competing and I was proud of the way the team really kept their poise and aggression through that difficult stretch to start the game…We’ve got to get home and get ready for the next one.”
FIRST QUARTER
Morant got off a quick start against the Pacers, getting to the lane for three quick layups while scoring six of Memphis’ first 10 points. On the other end, Hield hit two 3-pointers and Toppin drained another trey to help Indiana keep pace early with the Grizzlies.
But the hosts eventually surged ahead thanks to a 10-1 run, with Indianapolis native Jackson scoring the final seven points in that stretch.
Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard — back on the court after missing the past six contests with a right knee bone bruise — knocked down threes on back-to-back possessions to cut the deficit to 25-22. But the Grizzlies scored 10 unanswered points over the final three minutes of the opening frame to take a 13-point lead into the second quarter.
SECOND QUARTER
Memphis continued its run in the ensuing frame, with Santi Aldama and Ziaire Williams hitting 3-pointers and then Morant connecting with Williams for an alley-oop as the Grizzlies scored the first nine points of the second quarter to push their lead to 22.
Memphis led by as many as 23 points early in the frame, but Toppin finally got Indiana’s offense going, as the 6-9 forward knocked down two more threes and scored eight of the Pacers’ first 12 points in the second quarter.
The Blue & Gold strung together their first real run of their own shortly before halftime. Indiana trailed 56-38 with under four minutes to play before the break, when Haliburton converted his first two field goals of the half on two straight Pacers possessions. Williams answered with a jumper on the other end, but those would be Memphis’ last points of the half.
Turner converted a three-point play with 2:26 remaining, Aaron Nesmith knocked down back-to-back threes at 1:28 and 1:06, Haliburton hit a jumper with 36.1 seconds left, and then Hield drilled a trey with 16.6 seconds remaining.
It all added up to an 18-2 run to make it just a two-point game at the break.
THIRD QUARTER
Haliburton scored eight of Indiana’s first nine points to start the second half, including a 3-pointer from left wing to give the Pacers their first lead of the night — 65-62 with 9:24 remaining in the third quarter.
The lead was short-lived, as Richmond, Ind. native Bane scored 13 points for the Grizzlies in the quarter and triggered a 13-2 Memphis run that put the hosts back in front 78-69.
The Pacers responded with eight straight points — including two more Nesmith triples — to get back within one, but Memphis answered with eight straight of their own to take an 86-77 lead into the final frame.
FOURTH QUARTER
The Grizzlies once again strung together a run that spanned across quarters, as they outscored Indiana 9-2 over the first 1:08 of the fourth quarter to push the lead to 16.
The Pacers never got back within single digits.
The Grizzlies shot 51.2 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from 3-point range in the victory, while the Pacers went just 42.2 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Williams finished with 16 points off the bench for Memphis, while fellow reserve Aldama chipped in 13.
The Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for one final game before Christmas, as Indiana hosts the Orlando Magic on Saturday. The Blue & Gold will embark on a two-game trip with stops in Houston and Chicago next week before closing out 2023 against the Knicks in Indianapolis on Dec. 30.
Inside the Numbers
Toppin topped 20 points for the fifth time this season. His 22 points were his most in 10 games in December and his five 3-pointers were his most in a game this season.
Haliburton recorded his 19th double-double in 24 games this season. He has the most double-doubles of any guard in the NBA.
Nesmith continued his strong recent play. The 24-year-old forward has scored in double figures in seven straight games and eight of his last nine. He is shooting 51 percent (26-for-51) from 3-point range over that span.
Turner blocked four shots for the third time this season. The ninth-year center now has 1,179 career blocks as he continues to chase down Jermaine O’Neal’s franchise record of 1,245 rejections.
The two teams combined for 34 3-pointers on Thursday, but the Grizzlies were far more efficient. Memphis went 16-for-35 (45.7 percent) from beyond the arc, while Indiana the Pacers were 18-for-52 (34.6 percent). Haliburton went 2-for-12 from long distance.
Memphis’ reserves outscored Indiana’s bench, 40-30. It was just the fourth time this season the Pacers’ bench was outscored. Indiana is 0-4 in those games.
Second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin had scored in double figures in five of his last six contests entering Thursday — including a pair of 30-point performances — but tallied just six points against the Grizzlies, going 3-for-10 from the field 0-for-4 from 3-point range.
Indiana attempted a season-low 11 free throws in Thursday’s loss. The Pacers’ previous low for foul shots was 12, a mark they set twice, the last time in a Nov. 1 loss at Boston.
Turnovers were an issue for both teams. The Pacers forced 20 turnovers, but coughed the ball up 17 times themselves.
You Can Quote Me On That
“This place is always lively and loud. But certainly, being his first game, you could tell that there was something extra in here with the fans. I didn’t see an empty seat anywhere in the place. It’s the kind of environment that you want to play in, especially if you’re a young team that’s trying to make the climb like we are.” -Carlisle on the environment for Morant’s return
“We knew it’d be rowdy. The Memphis crowd has been amazing the last few years. Getting their star back, we knew it was going to be a hostile environment.” -Haliburton on the atmosphere with Morant making his home debut
“We got unlucky with some miscues and some missed shots. But generally speaking, they shot the ball extremely well. That was really what put us behind the eight-ball in the first half. I loved the way we hung in. Kept fighting, got it to two at halftime, ended up taking a lead.” -Carlisle on the Pacers’ slow start
“I thought our shot selection was probably poor. I missed a couple that allowed them to get going on a little run there, especially when we had the momentum…We’ve just got to take better shots. I thought I did a poor job leading the group in that stretch and it allowed them to get back in the game.” -Haliburton on the Grizzlies re-taking control of the game in the third quarter
“We’ve still got a long way to go, but we’ve made some progress in the last three days. We’ve got to now look to sustain it.” -Carlisle on the Pacers’ improved defensive effort over the past two games
Stat of the Night
Two decisive runs spanning across quarters were ultimately the difference in Thursday’s contest. The Grizzlies outscored the Pacers 19-0 from the 2:54 mark in the first quarter to 9:30 in the second quarter and then 19-2 from 2:09 in the third quarter to 9:37 in the fourth quarter.
Noteworthy
- The Grizzlies have won five straight regular-season games against Indiana. The Pacers’ last win in the series came on April 11, 2021 in Memphis.
- Indiana is just 1-4 on the season when playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
- Fourth-year center Jalen Smith was inactive on Thursday on the second half of a back-to-back. Smith returned to action in Wednesday’s win against Charlotte after missing over three weeks with heel and knee contusions. The team elected to hold him out on Thursday as they ease him back into the lineup.
Up Next
The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic on Saturday, Dec. 23 at 7:00 PM ET.
Originally posted on pacers.com