THE Detroit Pistons were victorious against the Indiana Pacers as they defended home court.
The Pistons came off winners in a tight game with the Pacers with the score of 113-109. This is their 3rd straight win coming off from All-Star break.
The Pistons relied on their two all-star bigmen: center Andre Drummond who scored 26 points and grabbed 16 huge rebounds; and forward Blake Griffin who nabbed a triple double of 20 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists. Moreover, four other Pistons players scored in double-digits to help in the win.
For the Pacers, three players scored 20 plus points in this game. Forward Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 25, forward Domantas Sabonis posted 23, and guard Darren Collison had 21. Despite this, no other Pacers player scored more than 15 points in this loss.
The Pistons were on a hot start as they outscored the Pacers 36-20 in the first. This was thanks to a couple of play down low with Drummond and Griffin manning the middle. They led as much as 17 points behind the sluggish start of the Pacers.
In the second quarter, the Pacers played outstanding basketball and came back with a 31-19 run in the quarter.
Sabonis excelled in the second by knocking 12 points in his 16-point game during the first half. Yet, the Pistons refused to relinquish the lead.
Pistons guard Luke Kennard fired away beyond the arc, knocking down 4-6 from the rainbow. By the start of halftime, the score was 55-51.
Going into the third, the Pacers tried to carry their momentum from the second to the third. Yet the Pistons remained adamant in retaining their lead.
During the 4th, the Pacers tried to match the firepower of the Pistons yet it was a little too late. The Pistons, with their bigmen besting down low, held on to their lead to escape the Pacers.
The Pacers drop to their record of 40-21 while the Pistons up their record to 29-30 in the Eastern Conference. (Jayvee Gulfan, USC intern)