Grizzlies snap skid with win over Pacers
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Mike Conley scored 36 points and Vince Carter added 21 to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 110-97 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at FedExForum.
The Grizzlies (41-34) snapped a four-game losing streak.
Paul George led the Pacers (37-38) with 22 points, and Aaron Brooks scored 18. Thaddeus Young finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Indiana slipped into a tie for seventh place in the East with the Miami Heat, both teams 1 1/2 games ahead of the Chicago Bulls in the race for the conference's last two playoff spots.
Conley shot 13 of 21 and made 7 of 12 3-point attempts.
Playing without injured starters Marc Gasol and JaMychal Green, the Grizzlies started their 22nd lineup of the season -- Conley, Tony Allen, Carter, James Ennis and Brandan Wright -- and it clicked from the outset. Memphis led by 14 at the end of the first quarter and by 19 at halftime.
Wright, filling in for Gasol at center, made only his third start for the Grizzlies and scored 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Zach Randolph had 17 points off the bench.
Memphis shot 57.1 percent through three quarters and maintained a double-digit for most of the game. The Grizzlies built their biggest lead (25 points) midway through the third quarter when Allen drove for a layup after freezing his defender with a crossover move.
The Grizzlies used a torrid-shooting first half to grab a 72-53 lead. Conley led with 22 points through the opening two quarters, a total that included 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Carter added 13 and was perfect on his three 3-point attempts.
Memphis scored a season-high 38 first-quarter points and their 72 first-half points were two shy of a franchise record. The Grizzlies scored 70 or more points before halftime for the first time since April 2008.
The Grizzlies shot 58.7 percent in the first half and built a 22-point lead. Memphis made 10 of its 17 3-pointers and scored 28 points in the paint.
The Pacers trailed by 19 at halftime despite shooting 60 percent (12-of-20) in the second quarter.
NOTES: The Indiana Pacers reportedly reached an agreement on a three-year deal with G/F Lance Stephenson. Stephenson will take the place of veteran G Rodney Stuckey, who was waived Wednesday. Stuckey is recovering from a left knee injury and will be out four to six weeks. ... Grizzlies C Marc Gasol missed his third straight game with a left foot strain and F JaMychal Green did not play because of left shoulder soreness. Memphis coach David Fizdale called Gasol's foot strain a "day-to-day" injury. ... The Grizzlies also lost G Andrew Harrison to a right ankle injury in the third quarter. ... Pacers F Thaddeus Young ranks 20th in the NBA in field-goal percentage (51.6 percent). He shot 8 of 12 on Wednesday. ... Grizzlies F Vince Carter passed Ray Allen (24,505) to move into 22nd place in NBA history for career points scored. Carter needs six more games played to pass Kobe Bryant (1,346) for 13th in NBA history for career regular-season games.