The Memphis Grizzlies lost their second straight game against the Indiana Pacers 107-103 at FedExForum.
Indiana’s defense, specifically heavy ball pressure, forced a rough night for Memphis offensively. Here are three losers and two winners from the game.
Loser: Fourth quarter offense
This was arguably the Grizzlies’ sloppiest offensive performance of the season, and the nail was put in that coffin during the fourth quarter specifically. Memphis shot just 7-for-27 from the field in the fourth and only 3-for-15 from three. Indiana’s heavy ball pressure was a problem all night, and it really showed late in the game.
Ty Jerome was getting plenty of attention amid his scorching start to the season. Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard both did a good job of making things difficult for him. Jerome finished with 23 points on 10-for-20 shooting, but nothing about it was easy.
Loser: Turnovers carry over from the New Orleans game
Indiana was able to create momentum early, mostly because of the Grizzlies’ turnovers. Memphis gave it away eight times in the first quarter and only forced two Pacers turnovers.
The Grizzlies finished the game with 20 turnovers to 16 for the Pacers. Memphis allowed 24 points off those giveaways.
So much of the Grizzlies’ philosophy is predicated on winning the possession game and getting more shots up than the opponent, When the turnovers start piling up, it is hard to win in those categories.
Winner: Cedric Coward’s year-two leap fully underway
Cedric Coward’s performance at the start of the season is getting more attention, as it should. He flew under the radar through the first few games, but he is stacking good games and it looks real. Will the scorching hot three-point shooting continue? Probably not. Coward was sitting at 57.7 percent from three going into tonight, and went 4-for-12 in the game.
However, it is reasonable to think that the number will settle somewhere in the upper thirties. His 33.8 percent clip from last season was bound to go up. His mechanics have always looked smooth, and he shot it well in college. Even outside of shooting, Coward has had a major impact defensively and on the glass. He also looks more comfortable with the ball in his hands and consistently makes good decisions with it.
His ascension is a big swing factor for where Memphis can go this season as a team. Coward is blossoming into a high-level two-way wing who can affect winning in several different ways.
Winner: Cam Spencer continues to blossom as backup PG
Cam Spencer’s passing popped yet again tonight, which is very encouraging for Memphis as Scotty Pippen Jr. deals with a back injury. Spencer finished the game with nine assists and a game-high 50 percent assist percentage. Memphis also had success when going to lineups with Spencer, Ty Jerome and Cam Boozer.
That trio played limited minutes together, but the offense flowed well with Jerome able to play off-ball and Spencer being in ball screen actions with Boozer and other bigs. It will be interesting to see how much Iisalo goes to that trio moving forward.
Loser: Cam Boozer struggles
Boozer had arguably his worst game so far in the young season. Long-term, there is nothing to worry about, but in terms of tonight only, he was off in some areas where he usually excels. His playmaking was not as much of a factor as it had been, and he struggled from the field shooting just -for-.
Defensively, Pascal Siakam was a tough guard for the 19-year-old, and that is to be expected. As a scorer, there is a lot Boozer could take away from Siakam’s game, so losing a matchup to him could be good for Boozer’s development in the long run.
Loser: Free throws
Memphis shot just 9-for-15 from the free throw line. Indiana shot 15-for-17, and that, along with the turnovers, ended up being the main differences in the game.
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