A night after letting a big lead slip away against one of the league's top teams, the Detroit Pistons get a chance for redemption when they travel to Indiana to face the NBA-best Pacers on Monday. The Pistons squandered a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter of a 111-109 overtime loss to Portland on Sunday, their fourth loss in five games. Now they face an even tougher test against Indiana, which is 11-0 at home and has won four of its last five.
The Pacers showed their depth Friday by surviving an off-night from leading scorer Paul George, who was limited to a season-low 10 points in a 99-94 win over Charlotte. "He didn't get a lot of clean looks," Indiana coach Frank Vogel told reporters. "That's on me." The Pistons have had a tough time closing out games - they blew most of a 21-point lead before hanging on to beat Brooklyn on Friday and couldn't make the comfortable cushion hold up against the Trail Blazers.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE PISTONS (11-14): Detroit was impressive for three quarters against Portland, as forward Josh Smith put up a season-high 31 points and the Pistons showed off their muscle inside. They lead the league with 51.9 points in the paint per game with Greg Monroe (15 points, 8.8 rebounds) and Andre Drummond (13.5 points, 12.7 rebounds) leading the way. Point guard Brandon Jennings (17 points, 7.7 assists) is enjoying the best season of his career and will need to take care of the ball to give Detroit a chance against Indiana.
ABOUT THE PACERS (20-3): Unlike the Pistons, Indiana knows how to close out a game - it is 18-0 when leading after three quarters. The Pacers rank second in the league with 6.5 blocks per game with center Roy Hibbert leading the way with an NBA-best three per contest, and that post defense will be critical against Detroit's strong frontcourt. George (24.1 points) puts up the big scoring numbers, but guard Lance Stephenson (12.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, five assists) is the team's unsung hero and came up big against the Bobcats.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pacers have won six straight and eight of nine in the series, including a 99-91 win in Detroit on Nov. 5. Indiana has won the last nine meetings at home dating to 2008.
2. Drummond has recorded double-doubles in nine of the past 11 games and has 18 for the season, third-most in the league behind Kevin Love (21) and Chris Paul (19).
3. Indiana is 10-2 in games in which it has trailed at halftime and outscores opponents by an average of 6.1 points in the third quarter.