Pacers pound Pistons 105-84
INDIANAPOLIS -- Paul George led six Pacers in double figures with 21 points and Indiana pulled away from the Detroit Pistons 105-84 on Saturday night.
The victory extended Indiana's season-long winning streak to six. Detroit (23-28) had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Lavoy Allen, on his 28th birthday, added a season-high 18 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana (28-22). CJ Miles, Al Jefferson and Myles Turner each scored 13 points and Jeff Teague had 11.
Marcus Morris led Detroit with 19 points, Jon Leurer had 14 and Andre Drummond finished with 13. The Pistons made only nine second-half field goals.
A Jefferson layup with 9:36 to play pushed the Pacers' lead to 87-74. An Aaron Brooks 3-pointer with 6:58 remaining gave Indiana a 93-76 advantage.
A George 3-pointer with 8:56 remaining in the third quarter gave Indiana a 64-61 lead, prompting a Detroit timeout. Two Allen free throws extended the Indiana lead to 72-65 with 5:43 left in the quarter. A Teague jumper with 5:13 to go in the quarter made it 74-65.
A Turner jumper capped a 20-4 run and gave the Pacers a 78-65 advantage. Indiana led 82-72 through 36 minutes, outscoring Detroit 26-14 in the pivotal third quarter.
The Pistons scored the final seven points of the first half to grab a 58-56 lead through 24 minutes.
Morris had 12 points and Leuer added 10 for Detroit, which shot 48.9 percent (22 of 45) in the first two quarters to go with 10 of 13 from the free throw line.
George had 14 points for the Pacers and Miles added 10 during a first half in which Indiana shot 46.9 percent from the field (23 of 49).
Detroit outrebounded Indiana 23-22 in the opening 24 minutes. The Pistons' bench outscored the Pacers' reserves 17-6 in first-half action.
NOTES: The Pacers were without starting F Thaddeus Young (sprained wrist). Young was injured in the fourth quarter of Friday's win at Brooklyn and will be re-evaluated Monday. Lavoy Allen started in Young's place. ... Detroit ranks third in fewest turnovers at 12.0 per game and fifth in opponents' scoring at 101.9. ... Indiana leads the NBA in forcing turnovers at 15.6 per game and in free throw percentage at 81.8 percent. ... Beginning with the 2008-2009 season, Indiana has beaten Detroit 15 of 17 times at home, including four in a row ... The Pacers beat the Pistons on Dec. 17 and again on Jan. 3 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.