Pacers complete home-and-home sweep of Pistons

[April 04, 2019]  Thaddeus Young had 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and the visiting Indiana Pacers defeated the Detroit Pistons for the second time in three nights, 108-89 on Wednesday.

Bojan Bogdanovic and Myles Turner had 17 points apiece as the Pacers snapped the Pistons' 11-game home winning streak. Domantas Sabonis supplied 15 points and 13 rebounds off the bench, and fellow reserve Doug McDermott added 14 points. Cory Joseph dished out 12 of the Pacers' 31 assists.

Indiana defeat Detroit 111-102 on Monday in Indianapolis.

Andre Drummond carried the Pistons with 28 points, 19 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks. Wayne Ellington had 24 points, Reggie Jackson tossed in 16 points, and Luke Kennard scored 10.

Both teams continued to deal with injury issues.

Pistons All-Star forward Blake Griffin missed his third consecutive game due to a sore left knee. The Pacers' usual starting backcourt of Darren Collison (groin) and Wesley Matthews (hamstring) also sat out for the second straight game.

The Pacers shot 46.7 percent from the field and held the Pistons to 38.8 percent shooting. Indiana dominated inside, outscoring Detroit 62-36 in the paint.

Indiana led 44-36 at halftime. Sabonis topped the Pacers with nine first-half points while Drummond had 11 for Detroit. The Pistons shot just 31.4 percent before the break and committed 10 turnovers.

Pacers guard Cory Joseph (6) talks to referee Michael Smith (38) during the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Turner's three-point play early in the third gave Indiana a 13-point lead. The Pistons chipped away behind Jackson, who had three fouls and no points in the first half. His step-back 3-pointer with 4:15 left in the third made it 65-59.

The Pacers finished the quarter with nine unanswered points to gain a 78-62 advantage. McDermott got it started with a layup and finished it off on a 3-pointer with just 2.3 seconds left in the quarter.

Another McDermott layup two minutes into the fourth gave Indiana an 18-point lead. The Pistons reeled off the next eight points, including six by Ellington, and continued to hang around. An Ellington trey got Detroit within eight, but the Pacers reasserted themselves by scoring the next seven points.

--Field Level Media

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