Grizzlies at Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are looking to sweep a three-game homestand when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. The Pacers are creeping up the Eastern Conference standings with wins in nine of their last 13 games and overcame a fourth-quarter deficit in a 105-96 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.
Indiana's latest run of good fortune is coming with a big boost from All-Star shooting guard Victor Oladipo, who scored 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting Monday and is shooting 50 percent from the floor over the last 13 games. Oladipo scored at least 21 points in seven of the last eight games and logged at least 33 minutes in each of those eight contests. Oladipo will be going up against another high-scoring guard Wednesday in Memphis' Tyreke Evans, who leads the team in scoring (19.5 points) and returned from a two-game absence due to an illness with 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting in 26 minutes against Phoenix on Monday. "Offensively, he can flat out score it, so he takes a lot of pressure off of the other guys because now the defense has the key on him and they have to figure out how to slow him down when you over help on him," Grizzlies interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters of Evans. "I think he has made improvements this season as a playmaker. He gets his teammates the ball when the defense closes down on him. He puts a ton of pressure on you."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Memphis), FS Indiana
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (18-31): Star point guard Mike Conley was officially shut down for the season and will undergo surgery to shave a bone protrusion in his heel. "Obviously, I think everybody is disappointed, but I think everyone understands what type of guy Mike is and what type of effort he put into trying to come back," Bickerstaff told reporters. "You look at all Mike has done for his teammates and this organization, the blood and sweat he's put into this organization, and I think now it's our turn to support Mike, understand the sacrifice he's making." Conley's absence opens up playing time for the likes of Wayne Selden and Andrew Harrison, who combined for 28 points and 12 assists on Monday.
ABOUT THE PACERS (28-23): Oladipo got some help in the middle on Monday from center Myles Turner, who was playing in his second straight game after sitting out nine in a row to rest an elbow injury. Turner played only 11 minutes while battling foul trouble on Saturday but showed off his range of skills Monday while scoring 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. "I just played," Turner told reporters. "Last game I was in foul trouble, wasn't really able to establish much of a rhythm. So, it's good to go out here and one -- make an impact; and two -- just kind of play my way back into shape. It's been important for me."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pacers PF Thaddeus Young is 17-of-26 from the floor in the last two games.
2. Grizzlies rookie SF Dillon Brooks (right knee soreness) is questionable for Wednesday.
3. Oladipo scored 21 points in a 116-113 win at Memphis on Nov. 15.