George scores 32 as Pacers down Pistons
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Paul George poured in 32 points and the Indiana Pacers collected their third straight victory, downing the Detroit Pistons 121-116 on Tuesday at The Palace.
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, which equaled its season high in points, won the first of four meetings 105-90 at The Palace on Dec. 17.
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.
Drummond's alley-oop dunk off a Jackson toss tied the game at 77-all. Ish Smith's corner three gave Detroit its first lead since scoring the opening basket at 82-81. The game was knotted at 92-all heading into the fourth.
The Pacers started strong in the final quarter. Ellis' driving layup gave Indiana a 103-96 lead with 7:17 left.
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 Pistons pulled within five points in the final minute on back-to-back Marcus Morris threes. Drummond's tip-in after an Indiana turnover got it down to three but Ellis hit two free throws with 16.9 seconds left.
Indiana's offense produced its highest-scoring half of the season but it still only led by six, 66-60, at the break. The Pacers shot 60.5 percent from the field, led by George and Teague with 14 points apiece. Detroit was nearly as efficient, shooting 56.5 percent with Jackson's 13 points and seven assists sparking the attack.
The Pacers led 36-28 after the first, their highest-scoring quarter of the season. They hit all but one of their seven 3-point attempts, including two apiece by George and Turner.
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."