Pacers 88, Grizzlies 87
MEMPHIS -- Indiana Pacers forward David West took one look at the instant replay monitor of Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay's alleged game winning three-pointer and made his own ruling.
"No," West said waving his hands. "Hell, no!"
West was right. Gay's shot was too late, allowing the Pacers to skate out of FedExForum with an 88-87 victory on Monday afternoon.
In a game in which neither team had a double-digit lead, the last of 19 lead changes came with 1.4 seconds left when Pacers guard George Hill hit the back end of a two-shot free throw situation for the margin of victory.
The Grizzlies (26-14) tied the game 87-87 with 10.5 seconds when Zach Randolph scored on a layup following a Tony Allen steal and assist.
After a Pacers timeout, Hill drove to the basket and drew the foul that gave Indiana (26-16) its second win over the Grizzlies this season.
West led the Pacers with 14 points, with Hill's 13 points barely offsetting his eight turnovers. Wayne Ellington came off the bench to top the Grizzlies with 17 points. Gay had 14 points, but shot just 7-for-22 from the field.
It was amazing that the Grizzlies trailed just 43-39 at halftime, considering the Pacers' starters dominated Memphis' starters, holding a 35-21 scoring edge.
The Pacers' length, especially inside, clearly bothered the Grizzlies. Memphis' front line of Gay, Randolph and Marc Gasol combined for a mere nine points on 4-of-20 misfirings from the field.
Only a brief boost from the Grizzlies' bench, including eight points in 10 minutes from Ellington, kept Memphis within shouting distance after two quarters.
A 14-0 Memphis run, capped by a Randolph bank shot, brought the Grizzlies back to a 53-48 lead after the Pacers had eased out to a nine-point lead in the first 2 minutes of the second half.
But the Pacers once again righted themselves. They stopped the turnovers that got the Grizzlies back in the game, and went back to forcing the action inside, edging to a 65-63 lead after three quarters.
Notes: Former NFL great Jim Brown, along with former NBA greats Elgin Baylor and Patrick Ewing, received National Civil Rights Legacy Awards as part of the Grizzlies' 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day on Monday. "Being militant is based upon a necessity to make a point," Brown said. "The point that has to be made in the climate of these discussions is separation isn't black and white. It's those people who participate in change and those who don't. And that does not come in any particular color." ... The Grizzlies are 5-5 in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day games. ... The game against the Pacers begins a four-game home stand for the Grizzlies, their second longest home stretch of the season after playing five straight in FedExForum from Nov. 19-30. ... Memphis has beaten the Pacers four straight times in Memphis. ... Two Grizzlies played their high school basketball in Indiana: Randolph from Marion and Mike Conley from Indianapolis.
