George Hill's crucial free throw helped the Indiana Pacers register a close 82-81 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Hill was not in his usual rhythm as he had eight turnovers in the game. He missed his first free throw with 1.4 seconds left and the game tied at 81, before sinking what proved to be the game-winner.
"I missed the first one, and got a little nervous," Hill said.
"I think (the turnovers were) what rattled me a little bit. I was thinking too much about the turnovers and me possibly redeeming myself to make it all look a little better."
For the Central Division-leading Pacers, David West was the top scorer with 14 points, making seven out of 16 attempts from the field. Hill added 13 points, Paul George had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Roy Hibbert finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
The Pacers are at 10-13 on the road. It must be very satisfying for them to start a four-game road trip with a victory against the Grizzlies, who are among the top four teams in the Western Conference.
"Coming in here, knowing it was going to be a tough environment, it was important," the Associated Press quoted Hill as saying. "(The Grizzlies) play well at home, and we knew it was going to be a scrappy, playoff mentality-type game.
"We knew we had to turn things around. Coach (Frank Vogel) challenged us to be above a .500 road team, and it started with (Monday)."
For the Grizzlies, Wayne Ellington scored 17 points off the bench in 7-of-9 shooting, while Rudy Gay added 14 points and chipped in chipped in eight rebounds. Mike Conley and Zach Randolph finished with 13 points apiece.
The Grizzlies outscored the Pacers 27-26 in the first quarter. The shooters of both the teams were struggling in the low scoring game. Indiana scored 17 points and their defense stopped the Grizzlies at 12 to enter the second half with a 43-39 lead.
"We knew it was going to be a defensive battle, and that it was going to be a tough game," Memphis guard Tony Allen said. "They made plays down the stretch. We have to pay attention to details. We have to communicate on the defensive end and execute offensively."
The Memphis defense stifled Indiana at the start of the first half; through the first 8 minutes, the Pacers had taken only six shots and had six turnovers.
Memphis took the lead with a 14-0 run in the beginning of the second half. However, Indiana rallied, making eight out of 12 attempts to start the fourth with a 65-63 lead.
Tyler Hansbrough had a basket and Hibbert another in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 70 points. The game was very close and both the teams were in with a chance of grabbing the win. Conley shot a 3-pointer to give Memphis a 79-78 lead with 2:10 remaining in the game, but George had a shot from beyond the 3-point arc to give Indiana an 81-79 lead.
"That was a huge answer-back three," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "That is competitive spirit rising up. That was a huge play."
The Grizzlies outscored Indiana 18-17 in the last quarter, but lost the game by one point.
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