Memphis Grizzlies Beat Up on Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse

Rudy Gay's game winning shot over LeBron James that defeated the Heat wasn't just a good shot.

He is the real deal, and he proved it once again Sunday night in Indianapolis.

The Grizzlies won 104-90 on Sunday night, and Gay led all scorers with 30 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals. He was getting whatever he wanted inside, outside, and everything in between. Danny Granger had 29 for the Pacers, but Indiana dropped another game at home, and now stand at 13-15 on the season.

The Grizzlies snapped a three-game losing streak, and got contributions from all of their starters. Zach Randolph had 18 points and 16 rebounds, while Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo chipped in 17 points a piece. The Grizzlies have won five of the past six games against Indiana.

Memphis led throughout the third quarter, pushing the advantage to 15. Indiana rallied in the fourth quarter, pulling to 88-80 on Granger's driving layup with 6:43 to play.

Gay banked in a 17-footer from the top of the key on the next possession, and Memphis preserved the double-digit lead the rest of the way. Gay's 3-pointer that made it 100-86 with just less than 3 minutes left sent many of the fans streaming toward the exits.

The Pacers struggled with their shooting in this game, shooting just 35 percent, compared to 44 percent for Memphis. The Grizzlies had 14 more points in the paint, and got over the century mark, improving their record to 12-4 when doing so.

The Pacers looked a bit timid when it came to driving the lane. They seemed to settle for a lot of outside shots, which they seemed to miss every time. They were just seven of 25 from beyond the arc, which puts them at just 28 percent. Memphis was five of ten from downtown, picking and choosing their shots wisely.

After watching the game and reviewing the shot chart, it was just surprising to see how many shots were put up, and how bad they were. Granger took nine three-pointers, connecting on just three of them. Three other Pacers players took at least four attempts from beyond the arc. Roy Hibbert was just five of 17 overall from the floor, finishing with 14 points and ten rebounds. Mike Dunleavy was the only other Pacers player to reach double-figure scoring. He finished with ten.

Head coach Jim O'Brien used 11 players in this game, searching for somebody that could make a shot. Even Solomon Jones put up six shot attempts in just 12 minutes. He managed just two rebounds in that same time frame.

If they Pacers had trouble against the Grizzlies who are one of the worst road teams in the league, they had better get things fixed before their next game on Tuesday night. The Boston Celtics come to town in two days, and they have one of, if not the best defenses in the entire league. It will be interesting to see if they will be without Rajon Rondo for this game.

If they want to avoid being embarrassed by the Celtics on Tuesday, they must improve their shooting, and they have to get back to playing the defense that they have shown they can play this season. The sloppy and inconsistent offensive sets need to be fixed.

The Celtics pounded the Pacers in Boston just one week ago today.