Grizzlies' interior defense shuts down Pacers, who lose fifth of last six

After a get-right game against Charlotte on Wednesday, the Pacers stumbled again Thursday, losing 116-103 against the Grizzlies in Memphis at FedEx Forum.

The Pacers have lost five of their last six games and fell to 14-13. The Grizzlies, reborn with return of Ja Morant, improved to 8-19.

Here are four observations:

Grizzlies' interior defense shuts Pacers down

The Pacers' offense can be 3-point dependent some times, as they rank ninth in the NBA in 3-point attempts and eighth in 3-point makes. But what really makes them such an explosive offense is they can so reliably get the ball to the rim, whether that's through fastbreaks, dribble-drives, post-ups to their centers, pick-and-rolls or lobs. The Pacers entered Thursday's game against the Grizzlies leading the NBA in points in the paint per game with 59.8.

However, on Thursday, they faced a Memphis team that gives up the fewest points in the paint in the NBA, surrendering just 43.5 per game heading into Thursday's action. The have a lot of size on the front line even with center Steven Adams out and have two of the best frontcourt defenders in the league in Jaren Jackson Jr. and Xavier Tillman. They also have tough perimeter defenders with length in Zaire Williams and Vince Williams Jr. and all of that size made it difficult for the Pacers to function the way they like to.

The Grizzlies held the Pacers to just four points in the paint in the first quarter to set the tone. The Pacers needed excellent execution to get anything close to an easy bucket, and with easy layups being few and far between, they frequently found themselves setting for 3s. They took 52 3-point shots against 38 2-point shots. They made 18 of those 3s, but that's just a 34.6% clip. They shot 42.2% from the field with 32 total points in the paint and posted a 1.03 efficiency figure. Their 103 total points were a season low.

All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton's stat line was a microcosm of the evening, which stands to reason considering the Grizzlies were primarily focused on making sure his life was difficult and he didn't get easy lanes to the basket. Haliburton took 19 field goal attempts and only seven of those came inside the arc. He was 5 of 7 from 2-point range, but 2 of 12 from 3. He finished with 17 points and 14 assists, but also four turnovers on one of his least efficient outings of the season.

The Pacers still had five players in double figures, but no one had more than 22. Some of their most explosive scorers had inefficient evenings. Veteran guard Buddy Hield scored 15 points, but he was 5 of 13 from 3-point range. Second-year wing Bennedict Mathurin had just six points on 3 of 10 shooting and missed all four of his 3s. Center Myles Turner had 15 points on 5 of 10 shooting but his life got progressively more difficult as the season wore on. Bruce Brown scored just four points on 1 of 4 shooting.

Pacers stage impressive rally in second quarter, but fade in fourth

Riding the emotional high of Morant's first game back in Memphis after his 25-game suspension and playing a rugged style of basketball reminiscent of what led them to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs last year, the Grizzlies threatened to run the Pacers out of the building early.

With the score tied at 15 in the first quarter, the Grizzlies went on a 10-1 run to take a nine-point advantage. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard made it a 25-22 game, but the Grizzlies went on a 10-0 run to close the quarter that became a 19-0 run to put the Grizzlies up 44-22 before Indiana finally got back on the board with an Obi Toppin 3-pointer. Memphis kept pouring it on with a 9-4 run to go up 53-29 with 5:59 left in the second quarter and it just didn't seem to be the Pacers' night.

But rather than laying down on the road in the second game of a back-to-back, the Pacers got back up, finding a shooting rhythm, finally finding some success getting the ball in the paint and playing some of their best defense of the year. They outscored the Grizzlies 27-6 in the game's final 5:59, making 14 of their last 17 field goals. The Grizzlies didn't score at all in the last 2:40 as the Pacers finished with a 14-0 run to make it 58-56 at halftime. They took a lead in the third quarter

However, the Grizzlies were leading 78-77 with 2:23 to go in the third quarter when they went on an 11-0 run that went into the early part of the fourth. It expanded into a 17-2 run to put Memphis up 16 points, and the Pacers never recovered from that. A 3-pointer by forward Obi Toppin cut the deficit to 10 points with 2:34 to go, but Indiana was never closer after that.

"We didn't play well, but we kept competing," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said in his post-game press conference, which was shown on the Bally Sports television broadcast. "I was proud of the way the team really kept their poise and aggression through that really difficult stretch to start the game."

Carlisle noted two calls that went against the Pacers that cost them momentum. The 11-0 run started after a block by forward Aaron Nesmith when he looked down at Memphis forward Zaire Williams and was called for a technical foul for taunting. Guard Desmond Bane hit a the free throw and Williams hit a jumper on the ensuing possession to make it a three-point play.

"The technical that Nesmith got came at a bad time," Carlisle said. "He had made a great play. They looked at the guy who's shot they blocked and they gave him a technical, which is what they do. That's something we have to avoid next time."

Carlisle also noted a call later in the quarter that was overturned. Mathurin was driving in transition and had his shot blocked by Memphis' Jon Konchar. Konchar seemed to make contact with his other hand while he was blocking the shot, but it was ruled legal, taking two free throws away from Mathurin and giving the ball to Memphis.

"The foul on Mathurin in transition that was overturned, I thought was a tough break," Carlisle said, elaborating no further.

Andrew Nembhard makes impact in limited minutes in return

Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard returned to the floor after missing two weeks with a bone bruise suffered Dec. 7 against Milwaukee, and the Pacers very much needed what he brings.

They generally lack perimeter defense and they needed someone to deal with Morant as well as unheralded guard -- and Richmond, Ind. native -- Desmond Bane.

Nembhard was tough on the ball against Morant and kept him from being nearly as dominant as he was in his first game back against New Orleans. Morant was still productive, but he finished with a modest 20 points on 7 of 16 shooting and eight assists.

Nembhard recorded two steals and also hit a couple of key 3-pointers in the first period to keep the Pacers in contact early. He finished with six points on 2 of 4 shooting in 16 minutes.

Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin shooting bright spots

The Pacers were kept in the game in part because they are getting strong outside shooting from their power forwards. With the interior so frequently walled off, they needed someone to hit shots, and forwards Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith were happy to oblige.

Toppin led the Pacers with 22 points on 8 of 14 shooting, hitting 5 of 9 3-pointers. Nesmith, who has been sizzling from 3 lately, hit four 3s and finished with 14 points. It was his seventh straight double-figure scoring game off the bench and he's hit at least two 3-pointers in each of those games. In that stretch he's averaging 14.1 points per game and shooting 53.7% from the field and 52.6% from 3-point range. He's 20 of 38 total from beyond the arc in that time.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs. Grizzlies: Pacers score season low 103 points in loss