Insider Insights: Memphis Grizzlies vs Indiana Pacers

Coming off of three straight quality wins, the Grizzlies looked to extend their winning streak to four by traveling to Indiana to take on the Pacers. The Pacers were looking to extend their winning streak and defend their home court where they have a 14-9 record.

Memphis has been a good road team with a 13-12 record away from FedExForum. Both teams were missing key players as Indiana was missing Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) and Myles Turner (back spasms). Memphis was of course missing most of their top rotation guys who they have been missing most of the year.

This was a competitive game from start to finish. In the first quarter, both teams traded buckets with no team seeming to get any separation. Memphis got out to a quick eight-point lead led by Jaren Jackson Jr. He was able to dominate the paint, as a result of Indy’s inside presence being thin without Turner.

Indy was able to stay afloat in this quarter led by Benedict Mathurin who had 12 points at the end of the quarter. A prelude to the big night he would go on to have. The first ended with a 27-23 Memphis lead.

In the second quarter, the Pacers ramped up their offensive production with a 12-5 run. Memphis responded with big shots from Vince Willaims Jr. and Jaren Jackson Jr. The first half ended with Memphis up 53-51.

The second half is where Indiana took control. In the third quarter, Indiana outscored Memphis 41-29.

Memphis couldn’t control the ball or the boards as Indiana capitalized on turnovers and offensive rebounds. These turnovers lead to loads of three-pointers and fast break opportunities. The discrepancy was seen in the shot attempts as Memphis shot only 14 shots and Indy shot 29.

The 3rd would end in a 92-82 lead for Indiana.

In the 4th, Memphis would fight back and go on a 13-2 run. The two teams traded buckets and Memphis couldn’t seem to get over the hump. This was until Triple J tied the game up a 107 with an and-one.

However, this was the last counter-punch for Memphis. Two clutch buckets from Jalen Smith and an Aaron Nesmith reverse layup put the game in Indiana’s favor. Memphis couldn’t respond as they would fall 116-110.

It was an ultra-competitive game with guys on both sides coming to play. Indiana just made more plays down the strech.

Mathurin led the way for Indiana off the bench with 24 PTS as Pascal Siakim and Jalen Smith added 19 a piece.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led the way for Memphis with 25 points while going 11/12 from the free-throw line. The 12 attempts were a career-high for him. Vince Willams Jr. did a little bit of everything with 20 PTS and 8 RBS and GG Jackoson II scored an efficient 18 PTS off the bench.

Now for the takeaways:

The team is competitive and that’s what matters.

This was a dogfight of a game. Memphis had to handle runs, slumps, punches, and counterpunches from Indiana. And they threw all of those things back in Indiana. That’s what I feel should be parts Grizzlies’ fan and the front office should be worried about.

With so many guys out of the lineup, it’s giving guys like Williams Jr, Jackson Jr, and GG Jackson II, good game reps to work through high-intense competitive situations.

These guys will be building blocks of the franchise in the future and have the opportunity to go through the growing pains of learning how to win now, it will pay dividends next season when everyone else is back healthy.

A big criticism of this team over the past few playoff runs was their maturity and how they handled adversity. Combined with starting the year with the Morant suspension, and all the injury woes this team has faced this had been the most adversity-filled season maybe in franchise history.

However, the positive is you get to see guys in different roles and situations and how they react in those situations. I love to see Morant, Desmond Bane, and Marcus Smart, coaching up their teammates on the sideline. That allows them to see the game from a different perspective which will also help this team in the future.

With their depleted lineup, they have been able to beat and/or stay competitive with some of the more established teams in the NBA. No matter if it ends up being a win or loss, they aren’t getting blown out every night. This time is allowing guys to grow and we saw some growth last night.

Optimistic/Pessimistic

What to be optimistic about?: The team seems to be gelling in this new reality of shorthandedness their in. They’ve strung together a few good games, which could lead to great things down the line.

What to be pessimistic about?: Grizzlies continue to be in no man’s land. They need to win more to make ground for the play-in and they’re not losing enough to better their chances of getting a top pick. Which can put the Front Office in an uncomfortable position.