Detroit Pistons ride hot shooting to huge win over Indiana Pacers
By Ricky LaBlue
The Detroit Pistons took care of business on their home court tonight against the Indiana Pacers.
100. Final. 118. 64. 96
The Detroit Pistons picked up a huge win over one of the better teams Saturday night, dropping the Pacers (118-96).
After playing each other practically even for the first quarter, Detroit took the game over in the second quarter and didn’t look back. Leading 53-51 with 2:40 remaining in the first half, the Pistons went on a quick 11-0 run, using three consecutive three-pointers and led 65-55 at halftime. The Pistons widened the lead in the third quarter, outscoring the Pacers 37-24 in the third quarter, making the fourth quarter meaningless.
The Pacers coughed it up 16 times Saturday and the Pistons picked up 27 points off of those turnovers. Indiana shot just 3-16 from beyond the arc, while Detroit shot a sizzling 13-29 from three.
Paul George, who led the Eastern Conference in scoring coming into the game, looked out of sync all night long. The Pistons gave him different looks all night and used multiple defenders. George shot just 4-16 and scored only 13 points.
With that said, let’s take a look at the individual performances from the Pistons in their big win over the Pacers.
B+. Jackson played another great game tonight. He was efficient (8-17, nine assists and no turnovers) and played solid defense. He made several plays off the dribble, which Pistons fans have come to expect from him. . PG. Pistons. REGGIE JACKSON
A-. Caldwell-Pope was excellent against Indiana. He shot 5-12 from the field, made two threes and all of his free throws. He also recorded seven rebounds, eight assists and four steals. He was all over the floor and really out-hustled George and Monta Ellis. 18 points may not jump off the stat sheet, but KCP’s play was bigger than the box score tonight.. SG. Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE
Morris continues to be a focal point of the Pistons offense. He logged 30 minutes tonight and was efficient from the field. His ability to get his own shot helps the offense when the ball stalls. He outplayed George tonight, scoring 16 points on 13 shots.. SF. Pistons. MARCUS MORRIS. B+
ERSAN ILYASOVA. B+. It was in the cards for Ilyasova to have a great game against the small Pacers lineup. He scored 20 points on 13 attempts and also blocked two shots. He has been a great addition to the Pistons, playing great offense and defense.. PF. Pistons
Dre never looked like he got into a rhythm. He missed a ton of shots early on and didn’t take many thereafter. He grabbed 11 boards, but the expectations are higher for Drummond. He had a great matchup against Ian Mahinmi and didn’t take advantage of it. Playing the second night of a back-to-back might’ve had something to do with it. . C. Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND. C-
C+. Johnson might not make a big impact on offense, but he helped keep George off balance all night long. He did miss a couple open threes, and had four turnovers. Hopefully for the Pistons, Johnson finds an offensive rhythm some time this season. . SF. Pistons. STANLEY JOHNSON
Pistons. ARON BAYNES. C+. Baynes didn’t put much up in the box score, but played good solid interior defense. Six points and seven rebounds isn’t bad in just 16 minutes. . C
B. I’ve been critical of Blake, especially early on. However, Blake played well against the Pacers. He drained three three-pointers and had four dimes. Blake just has to keep the Pistons going while Jackson is getting a breather, and he did that tonight. Blake started the second quarter with the Pistons down one, but when he left, Detroit held onto a small lead. If he can keep the Pistons above water while on the floor, that will do for now. . PG. Pistons. STEVE BLAKE
Tolliver, like Baynes, only saw 16 minutes but was effective while on the floor. He didn’t do much offensively, but played good enough defense and was a part of the bench unit in the second quarter then gave the Pistons a small lead. . PF. Pistons. ANTHONY TOLLIVER. C+
B+. Van Gundy did a great job of keeping George off balance and running the offense through Jackson and Caldwell-Pope tonight. The Pistons had to play against Indiana in the second game of a back-to-back, but the Pistons never once looked flustered or flat. Part of that goes to Van Gundy. . Head Coach. Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY
Spencer Dinwiddie, Darrun Hilliard, Reggie Bullock and Joel Anthony all sat on the bench until garbage time, registering three minutes apiece. The sample size is too small to give them a grade for this game.