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.
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