Indiana Pacers Fall in Preseason Home Opener to Memphis Grizzlies

Source: Dylan Buell / Getty

(INDIANAPOLIS, IN) – Zach Edey and Desmond Bane each score 23 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 120-116 win over the Indiana Pacers.

1. First Quarter

Prior to tonight’s first home preseason game, Rick Carlisle announced that Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, and T.J. McConnell would not be active. Indiana started Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, and Obi Toppin. Those five would not get off to a great start as the Pacers quickly fell behind Memphis 11-0 in three minutes. Nembhard would put Indiana on the board with a three, but Memphis eventually went ahead 27-11 with 1:06 remaining after a Zach Edey hook shot. After twelve minutes, Memphis led 31-17. Desmond Bane was the scoring leader with 9 points. Indiana’s leading scorer was Obi Toppin with 5 points.

2. Second Quarter

Quarter two was much better for the Pacers. They opened the quarter going on a 12-2 run with Ben Sheppard, Isaiah Jackson, and Myles Turner being key contributors. With 7:40 remaining in the half, Turner’s field goal made it a 33-29 game. The Grizzlies scored five straight points to push their lead back to nine points. An Andrew Nembhard triple made it two-possession game a couple possessions later, but the Grizzlies quickly countered with a three from Scottie Pippen Jr. and five points from Zach Edey to lead 48-34 with 3:52 left in the half. Indiana drew within six with less than three minutes remaining in the half, but the Grizzlies eventually went back ahead by double figures at halftime. Memphis led Indiana 60-49. Bane led all scorers with 18 points in the half. Indiana had a pair of players sore at least ten points, Myles Turner (12 points) and Andrew Nembhard (10 points). Zach Edey scored 13 points in the opening half.

3. Third Quarter

With majority of the key players already out tonight, Rick Carlisle made the executive decision to not play Myles Turner or Obi Toppin in the second half. Bennedict Mathurin did play all twelve minutes in the third and Andrew Nembhard played just under five minutes. The second half started with the Pacers trimming its deficit to nine points and then the Grizzlies countered with seven points to go ahead 72-56 after a Bane triple. Memphis would lead by as much as seventeen points on three different instances. The last coming with 4:11 remaining in the third quarter. After three quarters, Memphis was on top 91-78. James Wiseman and Bennedict Mathurin each scored 10 points in the quarter. Zach Edey also had ten in the period, to tie Bane for the lead all scorers with 23 points. Edey also brought down nine rebounds.

4. Fourth Quarter

Much like the previous two preseason games, Indiana primarily played its third team. Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard did play every second of the quarter, but the other three positions featured Tristen Newton, Cole Swider, Enrique Freeman, Quenton Jackson, and Kendall Brown. Walker led all scorers in the period with 12 points. Memphis attempted to put Indiana out of its misery by pushing its lead to 104-83, but the Pacers did not go away. Indiana scored seven straight to force Memphis to take a timeout. The run for Indiana ended up being 16-2. With 4:34 remaining, a Walker three-point play made it 108-101. Memphis would respond by converting back-to-back three with a Kendall Brown dunk sandwiched between them to reclaim a double-digit lead. Indiana would trim its deficit to five points, but that came with less than twenty-two seconds left in the game. Memphis made a pair of free throws and then Quenton Jackson dunked in the final seconds to make it a 120-116 final score.

5. Top Performers

Desmond Bane (23p), Zach Edey (23p, 9r), and Jake LaRavia (7p, 8r, 6a). For Indiana, Jarace Walker (15p, 6r, 4a), Myles Turner (12p, 7r), Bennedict Mathurin (12p), Ben Sheppard (12p, 5a), Andrew Nembhard (10p, 4a), Cole Swider (10p, 5r, 3a), and James Wiseman (10p, 3r, 2a). For tonight’s full box score, click here.

6. Next Up

Indiana will play its final preseason game on Thursday evening when the Charlotte Hornets visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Kroger Pregame Show with Pat Boylan will begin at 6:30pm. Mark Boyle and Eddie Gill will have the play-by-play shortly after 7pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan.