Caris LeVert scored 34 points, Malcolm Brogdon added 29, and the visiting Indiana Pacers never trailed in their 132-125 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
LeVert shot 14-of-20 from the floor en route to his high-point total since joining the Pacers on March 13, and his 34 points were his second-most scored on the season. His previous high of 43 points, while with the Brooklyn Nets, also came against the Grizzlies at FedExForum on Jan. 8.
LeVert set the tone with 12 first-quarter points, and Indiana raced to a 45-31 lead through the first 12 minutes. The initial flurry left Memphis in a hole from which it never recovered, despite Jonas Valanciunas matching a career-high with 34 points.
Valanciunas also grabbed 22 rebounds, 12 of which came on the offensive end. His efforts helped the Grizzlies to 88 points in the paint and 30 second-chance points.
A pair of Valanciunas free throws with 1:46 remaining, and Ja Morant laying in two of his 23 points with 1:06 remaining twice pulled Memphis to within a point, but they could not take the lead.
LeVert scored on back-to-back possessions in the final minute to push the margin out of reach.
Domantas Sabonis nearly recorded a triple-double for Indiana with 18 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. Brogdon fell one rebound shy of a triple-double and dished a game-high 11 assists.
Indiana scored 35 of its 52 made field goals off assists.
Doug McDermott came off the bench to score 13 points and T.J. McConnell chipped in 10. Goga Bitadze played 18 minutes with starting center Myles Turner unavailable due to a sprained ankle and blocked five shots off the bench.
Kyle Anderson scored 15 points for Memphis, and Dillon Brooks added 13. Tyus Jones scored 12 points off the bench, and at 2-of-3, was the only Grizzly to make multiple 3-pointers. Memphis shot 6-of-20 from outside as a team.
The Pacers went 13-of-37 from deep, led by Brogdon’s 5-of-9.
–Field Level Media