The Memphis Grizzlies (1-1) defeated the Indiana Pacers (0-2) 112-103 on Thursday.
The Pacers shifted Paul George back to his typical small forward spot before Thursday’s game, and gave offseason acquisition Jordan Hill his first start at power forward. The series of moves left Opening Night starting small forward C.J. Miles in a bench role, but the change did not affect the veteran’s offense. Miles equaled his Opening Night scoring total of 18 points, and drained another four buckets from three-point range, just as he had versus the Raptors on Wednesday.
After a dismal offensive showing in the opener versus the Cavaliers, the Grizzlies put together a balanced offensive attack to derail the Pacers, benefiting from a particularly productive night from their bench. Three veteran subs—Jeff Green, Matt Barnes, and Beno Udrih—tallied double-digit scoring, while Brandan Wright came just short with a nine-point effort. Marc Gasol led all Grizzlies starters with a gritty performance that saw him collect 20 points while hauling in eight boards, including a team-high seven on the defensive glass. Much like Miles, his Pacers counterpart at small forward, Green thrived in a reduced role after having started on Opening Night, coming in second in bench scoring for Memphis on Thursday with 12 points.
The Grizzlies evened their record at 1-1 and momentarily slot a half game behind the Dallas Mavericks for first place in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference, pending the late Thursday outcome of the Mavericks-Clippers contest. Memphis heads home to face off against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
The Pacers put together a respectable offensive showing, but faltered down the stretch for their second consecutive defeat. Indiana entered the 4th quarter nursing a 75-73 lead, but saw the Grizzlies explode for 39 points in the final period to pull away. With two starters scoring in the single digits, Indiana placed the primary offensive load on the shoulders of Paul George and George Hill, who contributed 18 and 20 points, respectively. Miles also made his contributions off the bench to help keep the Pacers close for the majority of the game. Jordan Hill hauled in six boards in his first start but struggled offensively, amassing only four points. Fellow offseason signing Monta Ellis had trouble finding the net for the second consecutive game, shooting only 25 percent from the field (3-for-12) after a 27 percent night in the opener Wednesday.
The Pacers fall to 0-2 and a last-place tie with the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference’s Central Division. They head home for a date with the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
