Indiana Pacers beat Detroit Pistons to finish 2023 In-Season Tournament group play unbeaten
The Indiana Pacers hosted the Detroit Pistons for a battle between Central Division foes on Friday night. It was the first matchup of the season between the two teams, and it was also an In-Season Tournament game.
The Pistons were looking to snap a 12-game losing streak, so they were hoping to get off to a strong start. Instead, it was the home team who looked better. Myles Turner had nine points in the first three minutes of the game, and Indiana was up 11-6 early.
Detroit surged for the next few minutes, and they tied the game up at 14 before the first quarter was halfway over. Indiana went to lineups with two centers to respond to their opponent's size, and that helped the blue and gold keep their lead, but they were having a little bit of early trouble.
The double-big lineups stayed in, though, and helped the Pacers push ahead down the stretch of the quarter. Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson were both effective, and other bench contributors made plays. After 12 minutes, the blue and gold led 33-26. Turner's nine points paced the team.
The second quarter opened with a similar script to the end of the first frame. Indiana's bench kept the Pistons at arms length despite lesser-used units seeing big minutes. That was a significant stretch. The Pacers bench had fallen out of form recently.
Head coach Rick Carlisle brought many of his starters back in with about eight-and-a-half minutes to go in the half, and that was a turning point. But not for the Pacers. Despite star point guard Tyrese Haliburton making several incredible plays, the Pistons marched back into the game over the next six minutes. The road team was down by five before a timeout with 2:59 on the game clock.
The Pistons responded with a quick 6-0 run to regain the lead. Their guards — Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham — were putting pressure on the rim and given the Pacers trouble. Turner was in foul trouble so he had to sit on the bench to close the half.
Detroit was still ahead when the halftime buzzer sounded. They closed the half strong. Cunningham was up to 22 points at that point while Buddy Hield led the Pacers with 12. It was 63-61.
The second half opened with a burst from the Pacers. They went on a 12-6 run over the first 3.5 minutes of the third quarter and were up by four. The blue and gold needed that response after their poor close to the second frame.
As the third quarter progressed, neither team could go on a run. The Pistons had an answer every time it looked like the Pacers were going to create separation, and Indiana made enough plays to maintain their advantage.
Bennedict Mathurin made some key shots for Indiana to keep their offense afloat near the middle of the third. Indiana needed that push. That, combined with good-enough defensive play to close the quarter, gave Indiana a 97-96 lead after the third period. They needed to play better to get the victory.
Winning time began with a small Pistons burst. They went up by three at 102-99 and were the first team to hit triple digits. The Pacers defense was not good enough through that point in the game.
Bruce Brown, Mathurin, and Turner stepped up. They made important plays leading into the middle of the fourth quarter and spearheaded an 11-2 run over a 2:45 span that gave the blue and gold a seven-point lead. After going back-and-forth for a while, the Pacers hit a much-needed stride. Their defense forcing turnovers was significant.
The Pacers kept rolling with a bench group that was working well. Andrew Nembhard, Brown, Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and Turner kept getting stops and getting out in transition. That's when the Pacers are at their best, and playing that style helped Indiana create separation.
They were up by eight with four minutes to go, but they gave up a late seven-point lead two nights earlier vs Toronto. They needed to keep their foot on the gas and close things out.
That they did. Nembhard put a layup through the net with two minutes to go that gave the Pacers a 13 point lead, which was enough to roll to a win. Despite some rocky moments, Indiana did enough.
They dominated the final minutes for a 136-113 win. Indiana improved to 9-6 on the season and 4-0 in In-Season tournament play.
Haliburton led the way with 26 points and 10 assists. Turner had 23 points and 10 rebounds. They'll play again on Monday when they host the Portland Trail Blazers.
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