LDN - Sports

George scores 32 as Pacers down Pistons

[January 04, 2017] AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- It took nearly half a season for the Indiana Pacers to string together three consecutive victories. Franchise player Paul George believes it's just the start of something big.

"I felt that's all we needed. We needed to get a winning streak going, just so that momentum can start to build," George said after the Pacers' 121-116 win over Detroit Pistons on Tuesday at The Palace. "Like I've said, once we get a streak, it'll turn out to be where we win seven, eight, nine games. I think we've got a big run coming ahead of us."

George reached the 30-point mark for the third time in four games, pouring in 32 points. He scored 11 points during a decisive 13-4 run in the fourth quarter.

"It's good to have that guy that you can give the ball to late in the game and he can create his own shot or create shots for his teammates," Indiana coach Nate McMillan said. "Normally, in situations like that, when guys get hot, it forces a double team. If (the opponent) is going to put two on the ball, then somebody's open and you have to trust your teammates to make those shots. Paul has done that this season. And if they're guarding him with single coverage, he's been able to close the game."

Myles Turner contributed 17 points and seven rebounds and Jeff Teague had 17 points and eight assists for Indiana (18-18). Monta Ellis added 16 points and Kevin Seraphin chipped in 10.

Tobias Harris had 22 points off the bench for Detroit (16-21), which lost at home for the second time in less than three weeks to the Pacers. Indiana has only three other road wins.

Indiana, which equaled its season high in points, won the first of four meetings 105-90 at The Palace on Dec. 17.

"We're well balanced with our starting lineup and our backup lineup," George said. "We have a lot of firepower in our starting group. Now, with Monta going to that second group and adding Kevin to it, it's a different dynamic for that group."

Pistons guard Reggie Jackson notched his second double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 assists, while Andre Drummond collected his 24th double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 16 points for Detroit.

"I think you guys know where the difference was in the game," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "They scored 121 points, shot 58 percent, 56 percent from three and went to the line 30 times. You don't need any expertise to know what the difference was in this game."

Jackson echoed his coach's observations.

"Honestly, we only play defense when we are down," he said. "Sometimes, we wait until we have our backs in the corner."

The game was knotted at 92-all heading into the fourth.

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Pistons forward Marcus Morris (13) moves to the basket as Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) defends during the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The Pacers started strong in the final quarter. Ellis' driving layup gave Indiana a 103-96 lead with 7:17 left.

With the score 104-100, George created distance during the 13-4 outburst.

George's free throws with 4:29 remaining nudged Indiana's advantage to nine, 111-102. His three-point play, jumper and free throw after a Drummond technical made it 117-104.

"The (halftime) message was the first team that plays defense is going to win this game," McMillan said. "They came out hot in second half and eventually we were able to get enough stops to win the game. We needed to take what we were doing at home and bring it on the road. I felt tonight we did that."

The Pistons pulled within five points in the final minute on back-to-back Marcus Morris 3-pointers. Drummond's tip-in after an Indiana turnover got it down to three but Ellis hit two free throws with 16.9 seconds left.

NOTES: Detroit backup C Aron Baynes missed his first game this season with a left ankle sprain. ... The Pistons allowed six of their last 15 opponents to shoot over 50 percent. They were 5-10 during that stretch. "The (defensive) numbers overall look good," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said. "The problem is why can a defense that good a lot of times have nights where it's not just mediocre, we literally can't get a stop." ... Indiana SG Rodney Stuckey remained sidelined with a sore left hamstring. ... Indiana SG Glenn Robinson III started his 17th game this season after starting just five in his first two seasons. "He's done a good job of bringing energy to the floor," Indiana coach Nate McMillan said. "He's drawn some tough assignments since coming into the lineup and done a pretty job. He's helped us on the board recently and he's knocked down shots when he gets that opportunity."

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