NBA: Pacers Blasted By Grizzlies 99-78

Memphis, TN (Sports Network) – Tony Allen filled the stat sheet with 19 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, six assists and six steals, and Memphis blew out Indiana, 99-78, in a game between teams battling for the playoffs in their respective conferences.

Zach Randolph added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who are in the eighth and final playoff slot in the Western Conference, 1 1/2 games ahead of Utah. Mike Conley totaled 17 points, nine assists and four steals, as Memphis bounced back from a 21-point loss at New York on Thursday. The Grizzlies also beat the Pacers for the fourth straight time.

“I’m looking at the standings everyday for where we need to be,” Allen said. “I’m just looking to do whatever I can to help whether it is passing out water, giving somebody a towel, congratulating someone or giving them some advice about the previous play or the next play; I just want to be able to help in any way possible.”

Danny Granger and Darren Collison each had 17 points for the Pacers, who are eighth in the East, 1 1/2 games in front of Charlotte. Tyler Hansbrough chipped in 14 points, but the Pacers lost one night after outlasting Chicago in overtime.

Memphis, which scored the opening six points, never trailed and gained an early 17-2 lead thanks to some key inside baskets. The Grizzlies held an incredible 68-24 advantage of points in the paint in the game. Conley’s pull- up jumper capped the early rally.

Indiana was within 27-20 after the opening quarter, but the Grizzlies made this one a rout in the second. Ten straight points from Memphis moved the difference to 54-29 following Allen’s layup with 2:38 left in the half. It was 58-41 at the break.

Memphis held the double-digit lead throughout the third and throughout the fourth, although Indiana got within 80-70 less than three minutes into the final quarter. The hill was just too much to climb though, as the Pacers fell behind 93-72 with three minutes left following an Allen slam.

The Pacers lead the all-time series over the Grizzlies, 21-10, though Memphis has won six of the last seven matchups…Memphis was 0-for-9 from three-point range…Marc Gasol had 10 points for the Grizzlies…Indiana shot 35.6 percent.

Sports Network | March 19, 2011

(Sports Network) – A pair of teams clinging to the eighth and final playoff berth in their respective conference get together this evening in Memphis, where the Grizzlies will host the Indiana Pacers at FedEx Forum.

Memphis has a one-game lead over Utah and is 1 1/2 games ahead of Houston and two games in front of Phoenix for the final postseason slot in the Western Conference.

The Grizzlies lost for the third time in four tries with Thursday’s 120-99 defeat in New York, as Mike Conley scored 16 points to lead Memphis, which saw the Knicks bury a franchise-record 20 three-pointers (20-of-36). Darrell Arthur had 15 points while Zach Randolph and Tony Allen each had 14 in defeat.

“I feel we played pretty good help defense inside, everybody was rotating,” said Grizzlies center Marc Gasol. “But I think the third and fourth effort wasn’t there. They’re a good shooting team, but they shot the lights out tonight.”

Memphis will also host the Jazz on the brief homestand and is 23-10 in the Volunteer State this season. Grizzlies guard Jason Williams (back) is questionable for Saturday’s game.

Indiana is coming off last night’s big overtime win at home versus the Eastern Conference’s top seed, the Chicago Bulls.

Tyler Hansbrough powered his way to 29 points and 12 rebounds in the 115-108 triumph for the Pacers, who won for the third time in four tries following a six-game losing streak. Danny Granger netted 19 points in a winning effort.

“This was a great one to win. We let it slip away in regulation, but we didn’t let it totally slip away,” Granger said. “We all buckled down, worked hard and reached out and picked up a good win.”

The Pacers are eighth in the East — 1 1/2 games ahead of Charlotte and 2 1/2 games in front of the Bucks — and will begin a three-game road trip tonight against the Grizzlies, Nets and Bobcats. Indiana is 11-24 on the road.

Memphis defeated Indiana, 104-90, on Dec. 26 this season at Conseco Fieldhouse and has won three straight and five of the past six meetings in the series.

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Tyler Hansbrough scored 29 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, as theIndiana Pacers needed overtime to defeat Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls, 115-108, at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Danny Granger added 19 points and six rebounds for the Pacers, who have won three of four.

Darren Collison donated 17 points and eight assists for Indiana, which got 15 points and seven boards from Roy Hibbert.

Rose tied a career high with 42 points for the Bulls, who had an eight-game winning streak snapped.

Luol Deng tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago, which got 17 points from Joakim Noah.

Trailing 95-80 with over 8 1/2 minutes to play in regulation, Rose and the Bulls went on a 22-7 run to force overtime.

Rose's free throw with 58.3 seconds remaining cut the gap to 102-99. Following misses from Collison and Rose, Collison turned the ball over.

With the game clock showing less than two seconds, Rose went up for a shot from beyond the arc. Collison was called for a foul on the play, and Rose made all three free throws to make it a 102-102 game with 1.2 ticks remaining.

The Pacers had a chance to win it at the other end, but Rose blocked Granger's shot from beyond the arc. Rose tallied 19 points in the fourth quarter.

Indiana scored the first seven points of overtime, but Chicago fought back. Rose made a layup with 43.4 seconds left to cut the gap to 111-108.

Josh McRoberts made a pair from the line to make it a five-point game. After Kyle Korver missed a three-pointer, Paul George made two free throws to seal the victory.

Down by one, 11-10, near the midway mark of the first period, Hansbrough put together a personal 9-0 run to put Indiana in front.

The Pacers ripped off six straight points near the end of the period to take a 31-18 lead. Rose stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer to make it a 31-21 game heading to the second.

Holding a 42-35 edge with five minutes left in the second, the Pacers went on a 16-5 surge to create some distance. Granger tallied seven points during the burst, which Hansbrough capped with a tip-in for a 58-40 lead.

Indiana went 17-of-17 from the foul line in the first half en route to a 62-48 advantage.

An evenly-played third quarter resulted in the Pacers taking an 89-73 lead into the fourth.

The Bulls won the season series with the Pacers, 3-1...Bulls forward Carlos Boozer missed his fourth straight game due to a sprained left ankle.

Sports Network | March 18, 2011

(Sports Network) – With a Central Division title already in tow, the Chicago Bulls eye their 50th win of the season and ninth straight victory tonight against the Indiana Pacers in the conclusion of a brief two-game road trip at Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Bulls haven’t won 50 games in a season since winning their sixth NBA title in 1997-98, when they went 62-20. Chicago has been on a roll lately and prevailed for the eighth time in a row with Thursday’s 84-73 decision over the New Jersey Nets. Donned in their St. Patrick’s Day green uniforms, the Bulls got 21 points from MVP candidate Derrick Rose and rookie Omer Asik notched his first double-double with 11 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.

“With [Asik] to come in and get that many rebounds, he got to the free throw line, dunked a lot of balls, blocked shots and played great defense,” Rose said.

Luol Deng finished with 19 points for top-seeded Chicago, which has won four in a row on the road and improved to 19-14 as the visitor. The Bulls are a half-game ahead of Boston for bragging rights in the Eastern Conference.

Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer did not play because of a sprained left ankle and is questionable for Friday. He has missed three straight games and is averaging 18.3 points and 9.3 rebounds this season.

Indiana has lost seven of nine games, including Wednesday’s 92-80 setback to the Celtics in Beantown.

Danny Granger and Paul George provided 15 points apiece, while Josh McRoberts ended with 14 and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who are eighth in the Eastern Conference standings — just a half-game ahead of Charlotte.

“[Boston] is really tough to beat,” Granger said. “They’ve played together for a while and know what they’re doing.”

Tyler Hansbrough posted 10 points and pulled down 11 boards in defeat. Darren Collison also scored 10 points, as the Pacers shot just 37.5 percent for the game.

The Pacers are back home where they own an 18-15 record.

Chicago has won the first three meetings with Indiana this season and 10 of the last 14 meetings in the series. It is only 5-18 all-time at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Paul Pierce scored 20 points, Jeff Green added 19 and the Boston Celtics reclaimed a share of the Eastern Conference lead with a 92-80 victory over the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden.

Ray Allen had 12 points and Nenad Krstic supplied 11 points with seven rebounds for the Celtics, who entered Wednesday having dropped three of their previous four games. Boston, at 48-18, moved into a tie with idle Chicago for the East's top seed.

Danny Granger and Paul George both scored 15 points for Indiana, which had lost six straight before a home-and-home sweep of New York.

Trailing by as many as eight points in the opening 12 minutes, the Celtics surged ahead in the second quarter, building a 44-31 lead on a pair of Kevin Garnett free throws.

Indiana then scored seven straight points before Pierce hit a shot from beyond the arc to put Boston up 47-38. The Celtics led by seven at halftime, but the Pacers closed to within four early in the third quarter when George and Granger drained consecutive threes.

Boston, though, countered with a 10-3 run to push its lead back to double digits at 64-53. The margin grew to 74-60 when Carlos Arroyo knocked down a trey as the third-quarter buzzer sounded.

The Celtics maintained a comfortable advantage throughout the final 12 minutes.

Garnett finished with 10 points for Boston, which shot 47 percent and limited Indiana to 38 percent shooting...Josh McRoberts had 14 points and 11 rebounds in defeat...The Pacers have lost seven straight in Beantown...Boston guard Delonte West had two points and three assists in his return from a sprained right ankle...Indiana scored exactly 20 points each quarter.

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Danny Granger answered Carmelo Anthony's game-tying bucket with the winning jumper just before the buzzer, giving the Pacers a dramatic 119-117 win to sweep a home-and-home series with the Knicks.

A game that featured 10 lead changes and nine ties in the fourth quarter was appropriately decided in the final seconds.

Anthony took Granger off the dribble along the left baseline and went in for an easy lay-in to tie things, 117-117, with 7.8 seconds to go.

Granger, who sat out Sunday's win over New York with the flu, responded by getting space on Shawne Williams and nailing a 17-footer on the right side with three-tenths of a second showing.

A lob pass at the rim went for naught for the Knicks, who have lost three straight following a three-game winning streak.

Tyler Hansbrough led Indiana with 30 points, topping a career-high he set on Sunday by one point. Granger andDarren Collison chipped in 26 and 24 points, respectively, for the Pacers, who had lost six in a row coming into the home- and-home set.

Anthony tallied 29 points and nine rebounds, and Amare Stouemire totaled 21 and 10 in defeat.

The Pacers were up 29-27 after 12 minutes and never trailed in the second, which ended with them clinging to a 57-54 advantage.

Hansbrough exploded for 15 points in the third quarter, and his jumper gave Indiana its biggest lead, 87-72, with 2:23 remaining in the frame.

The Knicks came back and scored the final 10 points of the frame, and the fourth quarter was back-and-forth throughout.

Roy Hibbert, who ended with 15 points and 12 rebounds, broke a 112-112 tie with a runner, only to have Toney Douglas drain a three-pointer from the left corner with 41.5 seconds to play.

Collison drained a go-ahead jumper from the foul line, and Stoudemire couldn't handle Chauncey Billups' deft bounce pass in the lane to give Indiana the ball back.

Paul George then made 1-of-2 from the line prior to Anthony tying the game.

Indiana shot 52.3 percent from the floor to make up for 18 turnovers...The Knicks made 13-of-27 three-point tries...Douglas and Landry Fields each netted 17 points for the Knicks, while Billups added 14 points and five assists.