In the first quarter, the Grizzlies took an early lead, with a score of 14-6 through the first five minutes. The Pacers had not yet taken the lead at that point. However, Bennedict Mathurin came off the bench and provided a boost to the Pacers’ offense, scoring twelve points in the quarter, including ten points that closed out the quarter and minimized the deficit. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies’ scoring with eight points. Memphis led 27-23 after the first quarter.

 

In the second quarter, both teams picked up their offensive output. The Pacers went on a 14-0 run, led by Mathurin, Ben Sheppard, and Aaron Nesmith, to take a 40-33 lead after trailing 33-26. The Grizzlies slowly regained the lead in the final 90 seconds of the half, and Pascal Siakam made a fadeaway jumper for the Pacers to go into halftime down 54-51. Mathurin continued to lead all scorers with 19 points, followed by Vince Williams Jr. and Jackson Jr. for the Grizzlies with 12 points.

 

After halftime, the Pacers came out strong and had a fantastic third quarter offensively. They scored 41 points, shooting 52% from the field, making four three-pointers, and converting seven of eight free throws. Jalen Smith led the Pacers in scoring with 11 points in the quarter. Indiana tied the game at 60 and eventually took a 63-62 lead on a Nesmith three-pointer. They held the lead for the final 20 minutes and 46 seconds of the game. The Pacers led 92-82 after the third quarter, with Mathurin still leading all scorers with 24 points, followed by Jackson Jr. with 20 points for the Grizzlies.

 

In the fourth quarter, the Pacers initially lost focus, allowing the Grizzlies to make a comeback. Memphis went on a 10-0 run to trail by one point with 6:18 remaining. The Grizzlies had several opportunities to take the lead but couldn’t convert.

 

The game was tied at 107-107 with 3:27 left after a three-point play by Jaren Jackson Jr. The Pacers responded with a three-pointer by Jalen Smith and a dunk to take a four-point lead with 35.4 seconds remaining. Indiana got a defensive stop and sealed the game with two free throws from Nembhard. The Pacers won the game 116-110.