NBA Basketball Box Scores

National Basketball Association

BOXSCORE | RECAP

Indiana 105, Detroit 84

When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 4, 2017
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials: #37 Eric Dalen, #30 John Goble, #21 Dedric Taylor
Attendance: 17660

By The Sports Xchange

INDIANAPOLIS -- During November, December and a part of January, the Indiana Pacers struggled defensively and hovered around .500.

But Saturday night's second-half defense was indicative of why Indiana has won a season-best six in a row, limiting Detroit to 9-of-30 shooting from the floor while forcing 17 turnovers.

Paul George led six Pacers in double figures with 21 points and Indiana pulled away from Detroit for a 105-84 victory.

Detroit (23-28) had a two-game winning streak snapped.

"I thought they (Pacers) were outstanding in the second half," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "They really picked it up and got to us. We didn't handle it well at all. We couldn't complete passes, let alone get shots."

Lavoy Allen, on his 28th birthday, added a season-high 18 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana (28-22). CJ Miles, Al Jefferson, Myles Turner and Jeff Teague each scored 13.

Marcus Morris led Detroit with 19 points, Jon Leurer had 14 and Andre Drummond finished with 13.

"In the second half, we were a lot better defensively because we were much more aggressive," said Allen, who started in place of Thaddeus Young after Young sprained his left wrist in a Friday victory at Brooklyn.

"We all really helped each other on the defensive end. When Thad was out, I knew I had to step up and be productive."

A Jefferson layup with 9:36 left pushed the Pacers' lead to 87-74. An Aaron Brooks 3-pointer with 6:58 remaining gave Indiana a 93-76 advantage.

"We had to decide that we wanted to play defense if we wanted to win," Jefferson said. "We both had to travel for the second night of a back-to-back, and the home crowd helped us. Lavoy played really well, too."

A George 3-pointer with 8:56 left in the third quarter gave Indiana a 64-61 lead, prompting a Detroit timeout. Two Allen free throws extended the 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.

"In the second half, it was one defensive stop after another," George said. "Lavoy was huge for us tonight. Offensively, he was really good. Right now, we are playing the way we want to play."

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 from the field (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).

"Mentally, we are starting to lock into what we are coaching," Indiana coach Nate McMillan said. "Defensively, we weren't there in the first half. We responded in the second half, and we had better ball movement in the second half."

Detroit outrebounded Indiana 23-22 in the opening 24 minutes. The Pistons' bench outscored the Pacers' reserves 17-6 in first-half action.

"They were just way more aggressive than us defensively," Morris said. "The ball was staying in one spot, and it was easy for them to cover the ball. All of us were just watching."

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.

Top Game Performances

Detroit		Indiana
Marcus Morris 19	Scoring	Paul George 21
Ish Smith 6	Assists	Jeff Teague 7
Andre Drummond 9	Rebounds	Lavoy Allen 11
Marcus Morris 6	Free Throws Made	Jeff Teague 3
Andre Drummond 1	Steals	Lavoy Allen 2
Aron Baynes 3	Blocks	Lavoy Allen 1

Team Stats Summary

Team	Points	FG%	3PM-3PA	FTM-FTA	Assists	Rebounds	Blocks	Steals	Turnovers
Detroit	84	41.3	6-17	16-20	18	43	6	2	21
Indiana	105	48.4	7-24	10-15	22	41	4	11	6

Upcoming Games

Indiana will play their next game at home against Oklahoma City. The Pacers have a W/L % of .519 after a win and .609 after a loss.

Detroit will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Pistons have a W/L % of .435 after a win and .464 after a loss.