Detroit Pistons take care of Indiana Pacers 114-97
By David Topham
The Detroit Pistons took their third-straight game, this time a 114-97 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers, to move to 8-3 on the season.
The Detroit Pistons (8-3) opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run and closed it with a late 10-0 surge to bury the Indiana Pacers (5-7) 114-97 on Wednesday night, moving the team to 8-3 overall and 5-1 at home.
Detroit should have won this game – the Pacers were on their third game in four nights and played last night in Indiana, while the Pistons have been off since Saturday. Despite trailing by as many as 11 in the second quarter and down one starter in Stanley Johnson and one rotation player in Jon Leuer, Detroit got it done with defense, strong bench play, and leading performances from Tobias Harris and Andre Drummond.
Harris paced the Pistons with 23 points, eight rebounds and five triples, while Drummond racked up 14 points, 21 rebounds, four assists and a block on 7-9 shooting. Reggie Jackson, Avery Bradley, Langston Galloway, and Ish Smith also scored in double figures, the later two part of a bench unit that provided 38 Piston points (30 of which came in the first half).
The Pacers had taken nine of the past 10 games versus the Pistons before tonight, but Paul George is gone and Detroit is pleased to turn the page on that part of this Central Division rivalry. Coming in scoring 110.5 points per game, the Pistons held Indiana to just 97 tonight.
PG. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE JACKSON. B. Jackson finished with 18 points, six assists, and three rebounds on 60 percent shooting from the field. There were times were he got whatever he wanted in the pick and roll with Drummond, but he over dribbled on multiple possessions which was frustrating.
B-. Bradley took himself out of the first quarter with two fouls less than three minutes into the game. But he made up for it with a strong final three quarters. He was a big reason why Victor Oladipo committed six turnovers and was held to 21 points on 21 shots.. SG. Detroit Pistons. AVERY BRADLEY
B. Bullock got the start for the injured Stanley Johnson, and picked up where he left off last season with two first quarter buckets off back cuts. He did a nice job on defense and didn’t force anything on offense and had himself a solid game.. SF. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE BULLOCK
PF. Detroit Pistons. TOBIAS HARRIS. A-. Tobias Harris continued his torrid start, adding this 23-point, eight-rebound, five-triple gem to his list of impressive early season performances. He’s been awesome this season.
Detroit Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND. A. Andre Drummond shot 0-7 from the free throw line, but that didn’t stop him from imposing his will on this game. Drummond closed this one strong, accumulating 10 points and 14 rebounds in the second half alone to finish with a line of 14 points, 21 rebounds, four assists, and one block on 7-9 shooting. This was his 11th straight game with 12 or more rebounds.. C
B+. Langston “Green Light” Galloway jump-started the team in the second quarter when they really needed a spark. He poured in nine second quarter points to help Detroit erase an 11-point Pacer lead. That earned him sixth man duties in the second half.. SG. Detroit Pistons. LANGSTON GALLOWAY
PG. Detroit Pistons. ISH SMITH. A-. Tonight, Ish Smith did was Ish Smith does: come in off the bench, control the pace of the game, and take what the defense give him. He wound up with 12 points, five assists, and three rebounds tonight. He also played in a key role in the second quarter that turned this game around.
B+. Anthony Tolliver provided 14 solid bench minutes in the absence of Leuer. He hoisted up three long balls, making one, and dished out four assists en route to a +14 plus-minus.. PF. Detroit Pistons. ANTHONY TOLLIVER
Boban Marjanovic was thrust into the rotation after Eric Moreland got bullied by Al Jefferson on three possessions. He continued his unbelievable PER ways by proceeding to score nine points and grab four rebounds in seven second quarter minutes. Things didn’t go as well in his short second-half stint, but he, Smith, and Galloway were the catalysts during the second quarter turnaround.. C. Detroit Pistons. BOBAN MARJANOVIC. B
SF. Detroit Pistons. LUKE KENNARD. B. Rookie Luke Kennard was the first player off the bench tonight following Bradley’s two quick fouls. He used a sweet pump fake and pivot on his only made basket of the night, and did a good job of moving his feet to stay in front of his man on defense. However, thanks to Galloway’s flame-throwing ways, Kennard didn’t get any second half minutes.
D-. Eric Moreland checked in mid-way through the first quarter after Drummond picked up his second foul. He was setting good screens and playing well, until Al Jefferson spelled Myles Turner. Big Al proceeded to school Moreland, getting three easy buckets in the paint, forcing Stan Van Gundy to remove him from the rotation for the night.. C. Detroit Pistons. ERIC MORELAND
Next: Pistons video playbook: Week 3
A-. Stan Van Gundy adjusted on the fly tonight, getting Moreland out of the game for Marjanovic, and riding Smith and Galloway a little more than usual because they were playing well. He also put Drummond in for the entire fourth quarter after Marjanovic had a rough third-quarter stint. That adjustment paid huge dividends, as the Pistons center dominated the quarter and helped the team outscore Indiana by 10 in the final frame.. Head Coach. Detroit Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY