The Memphis Grizzlies secured their second straight win following a three-game losing streak, defeating the Indiana Pacers 125-106 on Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis, and sweeping the season series for the third time in five years.
Let’s get into it.
The Grizzlies did that thing they’ve been doing all season, where they play like actual contenders against teams with a worse record than them. Earlier in the year, that practice lulled fans into a false sense of security, before they were forced to acknowledge the whole season (perhaps the whole franchise) had gone off the rails.
There is no better example of how fickle the basketball gods can be than the Indiana Pacers, who are currently last in the Eastern Conference standings after losing 3-4 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals. Indiana’s All-Star point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the first quarter of Game 7, ending the Pacers’ hopes of winning their first NBA championship and dooming the team to further struggles, as he will be out for the entire 2025-26 season.
Both the Grizzlies and the Pacers have faced allegations of tanking this season, and both teams do appear headed for the draft lottery. But they couldn’t both lose, so here we are.
The Grizzlies did a lot of things right, things that usually lead to a win. They limited their turnovers, and they converted the Pacers’ 19 turnovers into 25 points. They had significantly more field goal attempts: 94 to Indiana’s 80. And they outscored the Pacers 60 to 40 points in the paint.
A strong fourth-quarter performance, driven by 10 points from temporary addition Rayan Rupert, slammed the door on the game.
Rupert signed a 10-day contract with Memphis on February 22 and has averaged 9.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.8 steals in the four games he has played. He played 48 games for the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this season before being waived.
Seven Grizzlies finished the night in double figures.
Newly acquired guard Walter Clayton Jr. only scored seven points, but he tied the franchise record in assists for a rookie with 14.
Jaylen Wells led the starters with 18 points on 8 of 9 overall shooting and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc, and added three rebounds, one assist, and two steals.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 17 points on 8 of 9 overall shooting, and added two rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 16 points, and had three rebounds, and five assists.
GG Jackson finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and three blocks.
Taylor Hendricks led the second unit with a team-high 19 points on 7 of 11 overall shooting and 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, plus five rebounds, and one steal.
Rayan Rupert scored 16 points on 4 of 9 overall shooting and 2 of 4 from three-point range, to go along with six rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block.
Cam Spencer added 10 points on 4 of 7 overall shooting and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc, and added three rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will hit their final stop on this road trip on Tuesday as they take on the Timberwolves in Minnesota. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.