Paul George scores 27 points and haul downs 10 rebounds to help the Indiana Pacers hold on against the Detroit Pistons 103-97-NBA Recap
With three of the starter rested due to various reasons, Indiana Pacers played hosts to the Detroit Pistons at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN.
However being undermanned did very little for the Pistons chances as the remaining two starters for Indiana came up big to help the Pacers hold on to a 103-97 win. Paul George notched up his second double-double of the season with
27 points and 10 rebounds while David West was not far behind, ending the game with 20 points.
Jeff Pendergraph, who was given a starting opportunity replacing Roy Hibbert in the lineup, played well to contribute 10 points. Leandro Barbosa and Tyler Hansbrough both came off the bench to record 13 points.
For the Pistons, Greg Monroe had a 18 point, 12 rebound double-double. However, his inability to hold his nerve from the free throw line in the closing seconds might have cost Detroit the matchup.
Brandon Knight also played well to contribute 16 points while Tayshaun Prince and Jason Maxiell added 14 and 10 points respectively.
This win for the Pacers continued their hot streak in the month of April. Indiana have only lost on two occasions out of the 14 matches they have played. On the other hand, this loss for the Pistons made them fall to a record of
24-41for the season.
Both teams got an equal piece of the action throughout the opening period. Midway through the period, Pacers were able to put some daylight with a 7 point lead courtesy of a 6-2 run. However that did not last for long as the Pistons
rallied back to tie the game at 23 and at the end of the first quarter, the scores were equal at 26.
Detroit took a 34-30 lead inside the first three minutes of the second, but the Pacers responded with a 10-0 run to get their noses back in front. In the next several minutes though, Detroit pushed back and the scores were tied
at 41.
The stalemate continued till Fesenko`s two free throws finally gave some breathing space to Indiana at the half way stage - the scores 54-52 in Indiana`s favour.
Indiana outscored the visitors 13-8 at the start of the third and took a 7 point lead at the 6:48 mark. They were able to maintain their lead and were ahead by 9 at the 1:19 mark. However, the Pistons closed out the final minute
of the period on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to only 1 point, 75-76.
The drama continued in the fourth quarter and by the 7:34 mark, there was still no separating the two teams with the scores being equal at 84. The Pacers were able to put together a 7-0 run to lead by 91-84, but the Pistons bounced
back again with 5 quick points, all five coming from Charlie Villanueva to make this a one possession contest, 91-89.
Both teams traded baskets for several minutes and the scores were 96-97 at the 1:32 mark, advantage Indiana.
In the final 1 and a half minute of the game, it all came down to who can hold their nerve from the free throw line. Indiana came up big in that department as they made all of their three trips count to score 6 points.
On the other hand, Monroe was unable to make the most of his chances as he only made 1 of 3 free throws. George came up big in the fourth quarter as he scored 12 of his points to help the Pacers win this one a margin of 6.
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