Gasol, Conley power Grizzlies past Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS – Marc Gasol scored 20 points and Mike Conley added 13 points and 10 assists in his return home Thursday night (Friday morning in Manila), helping the Memphis Grizzlies rally for a 112-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

 

The Grizzlies (1-1) had seven players score in double figures and closed it out by outscoring Indiana 18-7 over the final 3:49.

 

George Hill scored 20 points for the Pacers while Paul George and CJ Miles had 18 each. It wasn't quite enough for the Pacers to avoid their first 0-2 start in six years.

 

The Pacers appeared to take command when they pulled out to a 75-66 lead with 1:44 left in the third quarter.

 

But the Grizzlies answered with 11 straight points to retake the lead early in the fourth. After George's free throws gave the Pacers a 96-94 lead with 4:03 left, Gasol tied it with a short runner that sparked the final scoring flurry.

 

It was a topsy-turvy game most of the night.

 

Memphis took advantage of Indiana's early shooting woes by building a 25-10 lead, then watched the Pacers methodically come back.

 

The Pacers got within 34-30 early in the second quarter, finally took their first lead at 43-42 and then looked as if they might pull away after starting the second half on a 9-1 run to take 58-51 lead.

 

Memphis quickly turned the tables on the new-look Pacers.

 

After CJ Miles made consecutive 3-pointers to help push the Pacers' lead to nine, the Grizzlies scored the last seven points of the third quarter and the first four of the fourth and never trailed the rest of the game.

 

NOT SO FINE

Just before tip-off, league officials announced George had been fined $10,000 for publicly criticizing the refs after the season-opening 106-99 loss at Toronto. He told reporters after the game the Pacers were frustrated by a ''lot of bad calls.'' Apparently, his complaints didn't stop there. He drew a technical foul 91 seconds into the game. But his shooting numbers might be more frustrating After going 4 of 17 from the field in the season opener, he was 5 of 15.

 

TIP-INS

Grizzlies: Memphis has won four straight over the Pacers and two in a row at Indiana. Both tie franchise bests. The Grizzlies looked more like the team that led the NBA in scoring during the preseason. They shot 50 percent from the field, were a solid 7 of 16 on 3-pointers and scored 39 points in the final 12 minutes. Memphis took advantage of its size differential by outscoring Indiana 48-26 in the paint.

 

Pacers: Indiana must win Saturday to avoid its first 0-3 start since 2009-10. First-round draft pick Myles Turner finished with eight points and 14 rebounds in his NBA debut. He missed Wednesday's game with a sore right ankle. Jordan Hill replaced Miles in the starting lineup Thursday. Hill finished with four points and six rebounds. Indiana was 12 of 30 on 3s.

 

UP NEXT

Grizzlies: Host Brooklyn on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

Pacers: Host Utah on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).