MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Tony Allen had 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds to help the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Indiana Pacers 99-78 on Saturday night.
Zach Randolph added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Memphis, which moved 1½ games ahead of idle Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Mike Conley also had 17 points to go along with nine assists.
Danny Granger and Darren Collison led the Pacers with 17 points apiece, and Tyler Hansbrough had 14 points. Indiana was coming off an impressive 115-108 overtime victory over Chicago on Friday night.
Allen also had six assists and six steals, clamping down on Granger on the defense end. Indiana's leading scorer went 5 for 15 from the field as the Pacers shot 36 percent for the game.
Memphis opened the second quarter with a 29-11 surge to build a 56-31 lead. Indiana was within 10 three times in the fourth quarter but the Grizzlies eventually pulled away again, earning their fourth consecutive win in the series.
Memphis got off to a fast start behind its greedy defense, which was leading the league in steals at 9.3 and forced turnovers at 16.6. The Grizzlies hit eight of their first 10 shots while the Pacers were committing a half-dozen turnovers.
Indiana closing the half with a 10-2 run but still trailed 58-41 at the break. Randolph and Conley had 11 points apiece for Memphis, which shot 61 percent in the first half.
Granger, who averages 20.6 a game, had only three points until he made a 3-pointer for his first field goal with 47 seconds left in the third.
Memphis managed 18 points in the period, but still had a 76-60 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
NOTES: Memphis is 15-1 against teams playing the second game of a back-to-back, including 12-0 at home. ... The Pacers are 1-7 on the road this month. ... Indiana has lost seven of its last eight Saturday games.
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