NBA: Memphis climbs back from a 19-point hole to frustrate Indiana

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Memphis Grizzlies completed one of the most massive come-from-behind wins in the ongoing NBA regular season after clawing their way back from a 19-point deficit to stun the Indiana Pacers, 136-121, on December 2, 2024.

After a disappointing first-quarter performance when they allowed the Pacers to hammer their way with 45 quick points, the Grizzlies took control of the last three frames courtesy of their much-improved shot selection and paint protection.

Indiana had a stellar start after putting the Grizzlies in several pick-and-roll situations involving Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. With the mismatch that the Indiana power forward imposed due to his ability to shoot from the outside, Memphis decided to hedge the screens and allowed him to shoot a volume of uncontested jump shots.

The results doomed Memphis as their decision backfired, giving Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin the confidence to let it fly from the parking lot.

It took the Grizzlies two quarters to map out the counter scheme in slowing down the Pacers, and that was letting Ja Morant and Jaylen Wells push the pace in the second half.

With a faster point of attack, the Pacers were caught off guard and relentlessly challenged the Indiana front court that put them in an early foul trouble limit.

Jarren Jackson Jr. then came alive in the most perfect time for Memphis and abused Indiana’s foul trouble situation when he dominated the shaded lane midway through the third.

The Grizzlies never gave the Pacers a chance in the second half and outscored them 74-53, en route to a reverse lopsided ending to a bad start.

Aside from Memphis’ altered pace and better shot selection, they also had a balanced offensive avalanche as seven of their players all entered the double-digit scoring column.

Jackson Jr. led all scorers with 25 markers built from an efficient 8/14 shooting from the field alongside eight rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.

Morant backstopped his big man with a near double-double outing of 19 markers, eight assists, two boards, a steal, and a rejection.

Other players who scored double digits were Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart who each had 16 points, Santi Aldama with 15, Wells with 13, and Jake LaRavia with 11 points and five assists.