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Memphis Grizzlies Outmuscle Indiana Pacers 95-83

By Christian Dudley

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Apr 15, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Jeff Green (32) and Indiana Pacers forward Solomon Hill (44) battle for the ball at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies poured it on tonight when it mattered most–bouncing the Indiana Pacers out of playoff contention–while gaining some valuable momentum.

100. Final. 95. 211. 83

Tonight’s Memphis Grizzlies versus Indiana Pacers matchup had plenty of playoff implications. As soon as the game tipped off, you could tell that the postseason was the only thing in the minds of the Indy squadron.

Indiana started strong. C.J. Miles was looking to shoot and shoot often. He and George Hill got the Indy team to a fast start, but Courtney Lee added a few points for Memphis to keep them afloat.

After the first 12 minutes of play, the Indiana Pacers led by two points at 24-22 after the Grizzlies fumbled the ball around on the final possession of the period. The Pacers would remain in control until falling completely flat once the Grizzlies’ starters made their second appearance on the floor.

Apr 15, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Jeff Green (32) shoots the ball over Indiana Pacers center Ian Mahinmi (28) at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Right before the halftime buzzer, Jordan Adams nailed an incredible shot to further build the lead against the Pacers.

The Memphis Grizzlies led by a score of 54-41 at the half. The Indiana Pacers were in trouble after seeing the Brooklyn Nets had defeated the Orlando Magic tonight. That meant Indy needed to pull out the win in M-Town; otherwise, they were doomed and on the verge of missing the postseason.

The Grizzlies would not be able to completely shake the Pacers. Both teams wanted the win badly. The Pacers’ backcourt gave Naptown some hope of a comeback.

Right before the end of the third quarter, there was an excellent sequence focusing around the Grizzlies’ Vince Carter and Marc Gasol. They faked out the entire Pacers’ squad twice and VC found Big Spain for a hoop plus the harm. Memphis gained momentum as the prepared for the final 12 minutes of action.

The Grizzlies held a 73-61 lead by the beginning of the fourth and final quarter.

A scary moment happened for the Indiana Pacers with about 10 minutes remaining on the clock. Indiana’s Paul George was walking gingerly and then crouched over, holding his knees. In what looked like it was a left leg injury, thankfully not his right leg in which he had just healed, players from both the Grizzlies and Pacers walked over to him and carried him off the floor to the bench. It was uncertain at that time if it was serious or something minor.

Moments later, the Indiana Pacers had tweeted this report:

A few plays later, it was reported that Indiana’s George Hill also had to head to the locker room. The Pacers should have begun their unraveling; however, that was not quite the case.

Following a Rodney Stuckey basket, the Pacers cut the deficit to 79-72. In a ridiculous amount of shot attempts and bobbles of the basketball, the Grizzlies managed to get a crucial basket off of a putback–on about the ninth try of the possession–by Zach Randolph. It was exactly how the Grizz play–they are full of grit and they will grind you down with their effort on the boards.

Apr 15, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Rodney Stuckey (2) dribbles the ball around Memphis Grizzlies guard Jordan Adams (3) at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

To close out the game, Memphis closed it out with Marc Gasol, followed by Jordan Adams and Zach Randolph. Jordan Adams deserves a lot of praise for his performances over the past two games. He has been scoring and playmaking in critical moments, defending, and keeping control of the ball. Z-Bo was traditional Z-Bo–creating extra possessions. Big Spain racked up another 30-point game inside of a double-double.

Marc Gasol has been going downhill since around All-Star break, but tonight he displayed one of his best games of the 2014-15 season–fitting, being as it happened on the final night of the regular season. He must dominate in the postseason as he did tonight.

Memphis wore down the Indiana Pacers and prevailed by a final score of 95-83–bouncing Indy out of contention of reaching the Playoffs. The Brooklyn Nets defeated Orlando tonight, so former Grizz coach Lionel Hollins and his Nets achieved a trip to the postseason in the eighth and final seed in the East.

The box score, produced by ESPN, can be found here.

Key Game Notes

  •  Memphis shot 47.4% from the field while the Pacers recorded 41% shooting on the night.
  • Indiana blocked five more shots than M-Town (8-3).
  • Both teams recorded the same amount of turnovers–12 each, although the Grizzlies recorded three more steals (10) than Indiana (7).
  • The Grizzlies only produced 12 assists on 36 made field goals, while the Pacers only created 15 assists on 32 made shots.
  • The Memphis Grizzlies won the rebounding battle (32-23).
  • The Grizz shot just 2/9 from beyond the arc, although the Pacers connected on just 8/24 treys.
  • Indiana’s bench out-produced Memphis in scoring (26-20).

Fantasy Watch: Grizzlies Edition

  •  Marc Gasol: 33 points on 13/19 shooting, 13 rebounds, two steals, one block
  • Zach Randolph: 18 points on 7/12 shooting, nine rebounds
  • Jeff Green: 14 points on 6/14 shooting, two rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block, four turnovers
  • Nick Calathes: Eight points on 3/7 shooting, six rebounds, six assists, four steals
  • Jordan Adams: Six points on 3/7 shooting, five rebounds, two assists

Playoff Time

Apr 15, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) shoots the ball over Indiana Pacers forward David West (21) at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

The 82-game regular season is now complete. The Memphis Grizzlies have landed in either the fourth or fifth spot in the Western Conference, therefore they will most likely face either the Portland Trail Blazers–and own homecourt advantage–or the Los Angeles Clippers–losing out on home floor advantage–in Round 1 of the 2015 NBA Playoffs, which begins this upcoming weekend.

Stay tuned to Beale Street Bears for continual postseason coverage of your Memphis Grizzlies.

Go Grizz!

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