Preview: Pacers at Grizzlies

[March 29, 2017]  The Indiana Pacers haven't won consecutive games since bridging January and February with a seven-game streak but somehow find themselves among a group of teams bidding for the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference. The Memphis Grizzlies, who host the Pacers on Wednesday, are losers of four in a row and are falling out of the running for the No. 6 spot in the West.

Indiana had a chance to lock up consecutive wins but dropped a 115-114 decision at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday to drop into seventh place in the East, one game behind the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks tied for fifth and one ahead of eighth-place Miami. "As a team, we've got to have the grit, we've got to man up, got to own up," All-Star forward Paul George told reporters after the loss. "At this point in the season, you don't have a game like this, being up four with under a minute (left) and let your opponent beat you, especially a young team. You don't give that up. It's a very frustrating loss." The Grizzlies are enduring their share of frustrating losses as well and averaged 89 points while being swept on a four-game road trip, capped by Monday's 91-90 loss at Sacramento. "We don’t care about no playoff seeding or anything else right now other than getting back to playing like we’re capable of playing," shooting guard Tony Allen told the team's website. "It boils down to communication, no excuses. And we’ve got to get better in that area in a hurry."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Indiana, FSN Southeast (Memphis)

ABOUT THE PACERS (37-37): Indiana is only two games ahead of the ninth-place Chicago Bulls and will play three straight and five of the final eight games on the road, from where they have not won since March 5. "We've got a game (Wednesday)," center Myles Turner told reporters after Tuesday's setback. "We know we're in a tight race, we've got to get better. It's frustrating losing when we had a lead in the fourth quarter, but you've got to get past it." George is doing his part and is averaging 27.1 points in March after scoring 37 points to go along with seven rebounds and four steals on Tuesday.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (40-34): Memphis might be able to pull out of its funk sooner rather than later if All-Star center Marc Gasol can make his way back from a foot strain that hampered him in the first two games of the trip and kept him off the floor the last two. "He’s just day-to-day at this point," Grizzlies coach David Fizdale told Grind City Media. "The fact that it’s his non-surgical foot, that’s a positive. But we just have to see what’s up with him over these next few days. As long as he’s moving, that’s a good thing. I think it’s just swelling and soft-tissue type stuff." Gasol is averaging a career-high 19.9 points and is shooting 38.1 percent from 3-point range on 252 attempts - 186 more attempts than in his first eight seasons combined.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pacers SG Glenn Robinson III (calf) sat out the last three games and is not expected to play Wednesday.

2. Grizzlies PF Zach Randolph snapped a string of eight straight games without a double-double by collecting 17 points and 15 rebounds on Monday.

3. Indiana snapped a five-game losing streak in the series with a 102-92 home win over Memphis on Feb. 24.

PREDICTION: Grizzlies 101, Pacers 97

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