Ja Morant has 20 points in first home game following suspension, Grizzlies beat Pacers 116-103

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant had 20 points and eight assists in his first home game following a 25-game suspension to help the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Indiana Pacers 116-103 on Thursday night.

Desmond Bane led Memphis with 31 points and also had seven assists. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 21 points and seven rebounds. Bane was 11 of 26 from the field and 5 of 12 from 3-point range, while Morant shot 7 of 15.

Memphis was still relishing in Morant’s return Tuesday night in New Orleans when he scored 34 points and made the winning, spinning layup as time expired. He was suspended by the NBA for waving a gun at least twice on social media.

Obi Toppin led Indiana with 22 points. Tyrese Haliburton added 17 points and 14 assists, and Buddy Hield and Myles Turner each had 15 points.

Memphis, which led 86-77 entering the third, stretched it to 17 at the midway point of the fourth and coasted to its second straight victory. The Pacers were coming off a 144-113 victory in Charlotte on Wednesday night.

With Morant back, the Grizzlies seem to have a new attitude that showed in the first half. By the midway point of the second quarter, Memphis was shooting at 60% overall and 50% form 3-point range. The lead had reached 22 points.

But the Pacers had a 27-6 run to cut Memphis’ advantage to 58-56 at halftime. And by early in the third, the Pacers had erased the lead after a pair of baskets from Haliburton.

UP NEXT

Pacers: Host Orlando on Friday night.

Grizzlies: At Atlanta on Friday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba