The Indiana Pacers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies after a weak first quarter

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers lost their preseason game Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, largely due to a poor first quarter.

In the final 36 minutes of play, the Pacers outscored the Grizzlies 99-89. They moved the ball effectively and defended well enough. It wasn't pretty, but Indiana played well enough in the final three quarters to win.

However, they were terrible in the opening stages. They were outnumbered 31-17 and looked disjointed on both sides. They weren't strong enough on defense as Memphis seemed to have good chances on every possession. On offense they were slow and didn't move the ball. They were often satisfied with the first shot.

“The first quarter was very bad,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “The guys who started the game settled into the game pretty relaxed.”

This frame devastated the Pacers, who had gone 2-1 in the previous season. This was their worst defeat to date, albeit by just four points.

A terrific fourth quarter allowed Pacers forward Jarace Walker to end the night with solid stats – he had 15 points on 6/11 shooting and added six rebounds and four assists. Like the team, he started slowly but didn't get going until late.

Cole Swider, James Wiseman, Quenton Jackson, Ben Sheppard, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin and Myles Turner all reached double-digit points, but all were between 10 and 12 points. Turner did his job in the first half and was great in the second quarter.

Indiana was without Tyrese Halibirton, Johnny Furphy, TJ McConnell, Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith for this move, causing them significant pain on both ends. A full recap of the game can be found below in video format.

The Pacers finish their preseason game on Thursday at home against the Charlotte Hornets.