MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Jaren Jackson Jr. had 25 points, eight rebounds and three blocks as the Memphis Grizzlies erased a 19-point first-half deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 136-121 on Sunday.

Ja Morant finished the game with 19 points and eight assists, and Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane each added 16 points, leading Memphis to its sixth straight win.

Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 19 points and nine rebounds, including six Indiana players finishing in double figures. Pascal Siakam scored 17 points and dished out six assists, and Obi Toppin had 16 points and eight rebounds.

The Pacers got some injury help when starter Andrew Nembhard returned after missing 14 games with left knee inflammation in November. His 14 points in the first half helped Indiana take a double-digit lead. He was not used in the second half as he only had limited minutes of play.

Takeaways

Pacers: Indiana shot 60% in the first half and built a 19-point lead. The 68 points were the most the team scored in the first half this season. The Pacers couldn’t keep up in the second half.

Grizzlies: Poor shooting gave Memphis problems early. But shooting improved after the first quarter as Memphis finished at 53%, including 16 of 46 from 3-point range.

Key moment

The Grizzlies built a 19-point Pacers lead by halftime and outscored Indiana 40-23 in the third quarter with Morant and Jaylen Wells driving the offense.

Key statistics

Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton averaged 25.5 points over the last four games but was limited to eight points and shot three of 10 from the field.

Next

The Pacers are in Toronto on Tuesday night, while the Grizzlies travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks that same evening.

——

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba