Grizzlies 98, Pacers 92

Rudy Gay scored 21 points, Marreese Speights added a season-high 19 points and nine rebounds and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Indiana Pacers 98-92 on Friday night. Marc Gasol and Mike Conley finished with 15 points each, Conley added six assists. O.J. Mayo added 13 for Memphis, which won its second straight. David West led the Pacers with 22 points on 8 of 13 from the field and 13 rebounds. Danny Granger had 19 points, and Dahntay Jones added 10 as a reserve, primarily on 7 of 8 from the free throw line. The game was close throughout with 18 lead changes and 17 ties. Neither team managed to hold a double-digit lead. The teams were tied at 86 with 4:30 left, but Memphis outscored Indiana 12-6 the rest of the way, including converting 10 of 12 free throws down the stretch. Indiana controlled the boards 48-37, including 16 offensive rebounds, helping the Pacers to 17 second-chance points. But Indiana committed 15 turnovers and shot only 39 percent, including Paul George missing 11 of his 13 shots, and Roy Hibbert going 1 for 7. The halftime score of 47-47 was representative of a first half that had 11 lead changes and 12 ties. Memphis held an early seven-point lead, but once the Pacers pulled back into it, the game settled into a tight matchup. The Pacers' biggest lead of the half was five points. Granger had 11 points and West 10 to lead Indiana. Speights had 14 points, hitting 6 of his 8 shots in the half, finishing the night 8 of 13. Neither team shot particularly well, and the Pacers might have extended their advantage a little more in the half, but they were an uncharacteristic 11 of 21 from the free throw line, part of Indiana going 26 for 37. Eight turnovers compared to three by Memphis didn't help Indiana either. West already had nine rebounds and George eight rebounds as the Pacers held a 28-19 advantage on the glass, including nine offensive rebounds leading to 12 second-chance points. The game remained close in the third was tied at 73 heading into the fourth. The teams were still even at 77 when Memphis scored nine unanswered points for its biggest lead of the game, 86-77 on Gay's 3-point play with 7:04 left. Indiana answered with a 9-0 run to make it 86-86, the 17th tie of the game. Notes: The game featured of matchup of All-Star centers Gasol and Hibbert, both of whom were selected as reserves. ... Memphis G Tony Allen returned after missing three games with a sore hip and knee. ... Pacers F/C Jeff Foster returned after missing 13 games with a sore lower back. ... Memphis F Dante Cunningham was ejected in the third quarter after getting a pair of technicals for arguing two different foul calls. ... Memphis has four straight wins in the series.