Grizzlies pound Pacers

Bobby Jackson and Shane Battier each tallied 14 points for Memphis, which won its fourth straight contest. Chucky Atkins, Eddie Jones and Mike Miller sprang for 11 points apiece in the win.

Anthony Johnson and Jeff Foster scored 15 points apiece to pace Indiana, which shot just 35.4 percent from the field. Peja Stojakovic tallied 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who have lost two straight and three of their last four games. David Harrison also scored 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in defeat.

Memphis used a dominating second quarter, outscoring the Pacers 28-14, to take control of the game.

A 16-2 burst highlighted by a balanced inside-outside attack propelled the Grizzlies to a 40-29 lead. Lorenzen Wright started the stretch with a layup and Battier tallied four of the points. Wright’s layup with 5:20 remaining capped the game-changing run.

Indiana trimmed the deficit to 42-36, but Memphis ran off eight straight points to end the half. Miller converted a three-point play to trigger the spurt and Gasol tipped in Miller’s miss with 19 ticks left to round out the first-half scoring.

The Grizzlies put the game away during the third stanza, embarking on a 16-6 scoring stretch to extend their lead to 73-51. Gasol continued to be the catalyst of Memphis’ offense with six points and three assists during the burst.

Memphis led 84-60 after three periods and was never seriously threatened during the fourth stanza.

Game Notes

Memphis is 6-1 in its last seven home games and is 23-10 at home...Indiana dropped to 13-20 on the road...The Grizzlies shot 51.3 percent from the floor and drained 9-of-20 from beyond the arc...Memphis made only 14-of-24 from the charity stripe.