Seven Pacers score in double figures, but Indiana is nearly unraveled by an offensive rebound-hungry Memphis Grizzlies team dogged by injuries.
The Indiana Pacers had won four of their last five games and looked to build on their momentum Wednesday night at home against a beaten-down Memphis Grizzlies team. The Grizzlies, 12th in the Western Conference, have dealt with several season’s worth of adversity in just the last few months.
They’ve lost a coach. They’ve lost Mike Conley for the season. There’s the countless other injuries to rotation guys. And the injuries met their apex Wednesday (hopefully), as the Grizz were also without PF JaMychal Green and their leading scorer, Tyreke Evans – though Evans has supposedly been on the trade block and his DNP has revved up those rumors.
But before we get into the thick of the game, I want to shout out Rasual Butler and his wife, Leah LaBelle, who passed away early this morning.
Butler spent just one year as a Pacer, appearing in 50 games during the 2013-14 season, but played steady, important minutes off the bench during the squad’s the Eastern Conference Finals battle with the Heat. That one season pales in comparison to the impact he had on the league. Everybody loved him, and he will be missed.
Saddened by the news and the loss of Rasual Butler and his wife Leah. Talk about a great dude and family man. I know he had many stops during his 13 year NBA journey, but he was beloved becasue of his work ethic in Indiana. New guardian Angels..
— Reggie Miller (@ReggieMillerTNT) January 31, 2018
A moment of silence was held before tip-off in remembrance of Rasual Butler, former Pacer who passed away in a car crash today at the age of 38.
— Jon R. LaFollette (@JonLawFilet) February 1, 2018
On the night, the Grizzlies played nine guys, the majority of whom you’re excused for not having heard of; six of the nine weren’t even first-rounder draft picks! But they sure didn’t play like no-names, giving the Pacers a tough, back-n-forth-y game throughout.
Myles Turner, in his first start since Jan. 8, got off to a quick start, finishing the first quarter with seven points and six boards. Darren Collison helped with nine points, but the Pacers finished the quarter down 25-21.
Victor Oladipo, who’d been pretty quiet and turnover-prone in the first, began to come alive a little late in the second quarter, and the Pacers took a 55-53 lead into the half – with both teams shooting 52 percent from the field. The Grizz continued to grind, receiving a boost thanks to six offensive boards and the second-chance points that typically come along with ’em.
The Pacers came out stronger in the third frame but weren’t able to take any kind of significant control from the Grizzlies until late. Bojan Bogdanovic FINALLY showed signs of shedding his 27 percent 3-point shooting in January, hitting a couple of treys before Lance Stephenson hit a cold step-back trey of his own to give the Pacers an 84-75 lead going into the final period.
https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/958879818694750208
But the Grizz weren’t giving up, going 5-0 in the first minute of the fourth and hacking away at the deficit by out-rebounding Indiana on both ends – and this is a Memphis team who ranks 29th in the league in rebounds per game.
The Grizz managed to take the lead with just a couple minutes remaining, going up one off of the undrafted SG Wayne Selden’s sixth three of the game. Myles snatched the lead back after nailing a pair of free throws. On the other end, Memphis missed their chance to take the lead, but predictably grabbed a critical offensive board, and now with a turned-off shot clock, they had a chance to win.
Selden had the hot hand, so he got the opportunity, but ran into a lane chock-full o’ Pacers and was denied. Before time completely ran out, an outraged Selden managed two quick technical fouls and an ejection. The Pacers escaped with the barely-earned W.
Whew.
The Good: Seven Pacers had double-figure scoring totals tonight and the team finished shooting 53 percent from the field. They also totaled 16 steals! 16! Only 17 other teams have gotten at least 16 steals in a game this season. Pretty cool!
More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds
- 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
- Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
- 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
- 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
- Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?
The Bad: The rebounds. While the final numbers aren’t completely egregious – the Grizz finished with 41 boards to the Pacers’ 33 – the Pacers could have easily put this game away had they not allowed Memphis 14 offensive bounds. Just no excuse for that.
MVP: Tonight’s MVP could go a few different ways; the guys really stuffed the box score tonight thanks to all those steals. Myles notched a double-double (15 points, 11 boards), got to the line a heck of a lot (where he went eight-for-12), added two steals and three blocks, and finished with a team-high plus-minus of +15.
But the feel-good story of the night, and the MVP, goes to Bojan, whose three-for-seven line from deep isn’t otherworldly, but awfully encouraging after a slog of a January for the poor guy. He had 21 points, five boards, a dime, and three steals.
LVP: Oladipo’s SEVEN turnovers to five made field goals. Luckily everyone else was ready to step up – you could some were even, ahem, BornReady. Better believe it.
X-Factor:
https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/958881906841530369
Lance. The x-factor is almost always going to be Lance.
" >
C+
The rook was sooo close to making both his threes tonight, but instead he’s finishing with a one-for-two line and three points in five defense-less minutes.