Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Memphis Grizzlies (48-22) took on Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers (23-47) in part of the NBA Tuesday slate. The Grizzlies coasted to a 135-102 win in the end.
It’s rare for the Pacers to hold a losing record at home, but they’ve been among the league’s worst teams this season. The Grizzlies, even without Ja Morant in the lineup, took care of business in this one.
Using a 42-point second quarter, the Grizzlies went from leading by seven points at the end of the first to being up by 25 at halftime. The Pacers never managed to recover from that point on.
The Grizzlies were led by Desmond Bane (21), Jaren Jackson Jr. (19), and De’Anthony Melton (18), who picked up the scoring load with Morant sidelined to combine for 58 points. None of Memphis’ players reached 30 minutes of playing time on the night.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: 3 Intriguing Candidates For Knicks To Replace Tom Thibodeau
No team is perfect, but a recent letdown 123-112 loss to the Houston Rockets surely had the Grizzlies ready to compete to avoid another outcome of the kind. They entered this game being 4-1 in their last five with all of those games coming against teams with losing records.
The focus for the Pacers in the stretch run of the season is on the development of Tyrese Haliburton. He was acquired in the Domantas Sabonis trade and was averaging 19.6 points and 9.5 assists since the trade prior to this game. He finished with a poor four points and eight assists with four turnovers.
Ultimately, the Pacers will need to hit on their first-round pick in the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft in an almost unprecedented opportunity for them to select inside the top 10.
Related Stories on Latest NBA Injury News, Trade Rumors & Analysis
WHY WESTBROOK NEEDS BUYOUT: The expectations were significant for the Los Angeles Lakers after the addition of Russell Westbrook was finalized using a trade with the Washington Wizards. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the helm, the bar was set at winning an NBA title or bust. READ MORE
KYRIE EARLY LANDING SPOTS: The 2021-22 NBA season has been a strange one for Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets, to say the least. It still remains as such given he is still ineligible to play in home games and would not even be able to play in a road matchup with the Toronto Raptors in the play-in tournament. READ MORE
