The Memphis Grizzlies recovered from a disastrous opening quarter to defeat the visiting Indiana Pacers 136-121 on Sunday for their sixth straight victory.
The Grizzlies placed seven players in double figures, led by Jaren Jackson Jr., who had 25 points and eight rebounds. Ja Morant added 19 points and a game-high eight assists, while Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart scored 16 apiece.
Indiana got 19 points and eight rebounds from Bennedict Mathurin. Pascal Siakam scored 17 points, Obi Toppin had 16 and T.J. McConnell 15.
Memphis finished with 30 or more assists (36) for the fifth straight game to set a franchise record. The Grizzlies entered the game with averaging 30.4 assists to lead the NBA. Three players — Bane, Smart and Santi Aldama — contributed six assists each.
The Grizzlies won for the 10th time in 13 home games after going 9-32 at home all of last season, but it took maximum effort.
Memphis trailed by 19 early in the second quarter but recovered to outscore the Pacers 74-46 in the second and third quarters to enter the final period with an 11-point advantage. The Grizzlies never trailed after a basket by rookie Jaylen Wells midway through the third quarter gave them an 83-81 lead.
The Grizzlies led by double digits most of the final quarter, stretching their lead to 17 at one point.
Indiana led 68-62 at the half behind torrid shooting in the first quarter. The Pacers shot 63 percent (17 of 27) in the opening 12 minutes and 56.2 percent for the half, one in which they built a 19-point lead.
A 27-7 run helped the Pacers go up 45-28 at the end of the first quarter. The 45 points were the most allowed by the Grizzlies in any quarter this season and the second-most in any quarter in franchise history.
Andrew Nembhard, returning from a knee injury, had 14 points at the half to pace Indiana. He did play in the second half. Memphis got a boost from its bench to close the gap late in the second quarter. Aldama had 13 and Smart 12 in the opening half.
–Field Level Media