Pacers-Pistons Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Dec 31 2011 12:43AM

The season opener in Indiana certainly set the tone for the first week of play for both the Pacers and the Detroit Pistons.

The undefeated Pacers look to beat the winless Pistons for the second time in six days Saturday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Indiana hasn't looked back since defeating Detroit 91-79 on Monday at the renamed Bankers Life Fieldhouse. With Friday's 98-91 overtime victory over Cleveland, the Pacers improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2007. They haven't opened with four consecutive wins since 2004-05, which was also the last season they finished with a winning record.

Indiana caught a break Friday when Cleveland's Kyrie Irving missed a layup that would have won the game at the end of regulation. The Pacers took advantage with Danny Granger scoring nine of his 22 points in the extra session.

"That's what Danny does," center Roy Hibbert said. "He makes big shots down the stretch and we follow his lead."

Indiana managed to win despite another poor shooting night. The Pacers shot 38.3 percent and have yet to crack the 40-percent mark in a game. They were 0-18 last season when shooting less than 40.0 percent.

"When we start shooting over 40.0 percent, it's going to look a lot prettier out there, and we won't have to grind these wins out," Hibbert said. "Just to be able to do this now is great."

Defense and work on the glass have keyed Indiana's success. The Pacers are allowing an average of 85.0 points while hauling down a league-best 51.3 rebounds per game. They held the Pistons to 36.0 percent shooting in the opener, and outrebounded them 53-40.

Hibbert had 16 points and 14 rebounds in Monday's meeting, Tyler Hansbrough had 15 points and 13 boards, and David West had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana. Hibbert recorded his third double-double in as many games Friday, finishing with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

The Pacers have won nine of the last 11 overall meetings with the Pistons, but have lost their last two games at The Palace.

Detroit (0-3) is also struggling offensively, but unlike Indiana it isn't getting stops on the other end of the court to compensate. The Pistons are averaging 84.3 points while allowing 97.3 per game. They trailed the Pacers by as many as 24 points Monday and faced a deficit as high as 25 in Friday's 96-85 loss to Boston.

"We just have to work and be a whole lot more efficient offensively," coach Lawrence Frank said.

Greg Monroe was the only Piston to score more than 11 on Friday, finishing with 22 points while shooting 9 of 12. The 6-foot-11 center combined for 18 points while shooting 8 of 17 from the field in his first two games.

Rodney Stuckey and Jonas Jerebko led Detroit with 17 points apiece in the opener against Indiana, but Stuckey has shot 5 of 23 and totaled 14 points over the last two games, while Jerebko has totaled 18 points in those contests.

The Pistons and Pacers won't play again until April 23 at Indiana, the penultimate regular-season game for each team.

Pistons beat Pacers, end Frank's 20-game skid

Posted Jan 01 2012 1:03AM

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) Lawrence Frank had a big smile and two important guests at his postgame press conference Saturday night.

Moments after breaking his personal 20-game losing streak when the Detroit Pistons beat the Indiana Pacers 96-88, Frank brought his two young daughters in front of the cameras with him.

"Welcome to Detroit, girls," he said.

Frank hadn't won a game since April 13, 2009, when his Nets beat the Charlotte Bobcats. The Nets lost their final game that season, and Frank was fired after New Jersey got off to a 0-16 start the next fall. He also lost his first three games with the Pistons since replacing John Kuester during the offseason.

"I'm all about breaking records," joked Frank, who was tied for the fifth-longest losing streak in NBA history. "But I'm really glad to see this team get some reward for their hard work. It was never about me. I wanted a win for our team."

Frank got a lot of help from an unlikely source - Jonas Jerebko.

The Swede, who missed all of last season after tearing his Achilles' tendon in the preseason, had 20 points and 12 rebounds.

"I played smart tonight, and I hit my shots," said Jerebko, who narrowly missed his career bests of 22 points and 13 boards. "I always knew I could do this."

Greg Monroe added 19 points and 11 rebounds as a tiny crowd got a look at what Detroit hopes will be their post pairing for the future.

"It's great playing with Greg," Jerebko said. "He was a rookie last year and I was hurt, so we're still getting used to each other's games, but once we get that time together, it is going to be great."

The Pistons got a scare with 2:58 left when Monroe and Rodney Stuckey collided going for a loose ball. Both needed attention from the training staff, but stayed in the game after the ensuing timeout.

"I saw Stuck going for the ball, but I thought I could miss him," said Monroe, who outweighs Stuckey by 45 pounds. "We both wanted to get back in there, because we weren't going to be denied this victory."

Tyler Hansbrough and George Hill each had 16 points off the bench for the Pacers, who lost for the first time in four games this season.

"Hats off to Detroit," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "Jerebko and Monroe outplayed our front court, and we didn't execute well offensively."

Both teams played Friday night, but the Pacers seemed drained by their overtime victory over Cleveland, while the Pistons bounced back from a loss in Boston.

"You can make excuses about playing three games in four nights or whatever, but we just didn't show up," Hansbrough said. "Right from the start, we were sluggish and slow."

Jerebko had 16 points in the first half to help Detroit to a 52-44 lead. The Pistons, who struggled badly in the third quarter a year ago, came out strong against the Pacers and moved the advantage to 82-64 with 12 minutes left.

Detroit got sloppy down the stretch, allowing the Pacers to get within six, but Jerebko had a key steal in the final minute to prevent a dramatic finish.

"Jonas was great tonight," Frank said. "The key was that every shot he made in the first half came in the rhythm of the offense - that's what we needed."

NOTES: The Pacers were whistled for two defensive three-second technicals in a span of three first-quarter possessions. ... Byron Scott has the record with a 26-game losing streak with Cleveland, while Brian Winters (23), Bill Hanzlik (23) and Bill Musselman (22 have also had longer skids than Frank. Only Musselman's streak spanned two teams. ... Charlie Villanueva, who sat out the first three games of the year to finish off a suspension, did not play on Saturday. Frank said before the game that Villanueva had been limited in practice by a minor injury.

Notebook: Pistons 96, Pacers 88

By Dana Gauruder, for NBA.com
Posted Saturday December 31, 2011 9:43PM

THE FACTS: Forward Jonas Jerebko had 20 points and 12 rebounds and center Greg Monroe contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons handed the Indiana Pacers their first loss, 96-88, at The Palace of Auburn Hills Saturday night. Jerebko, who missed all of last season with an Achilles' tendon tear, was two shy of his career high in points, Lawrence Frank got his first victory as Pistons head coach after three losses.

QUOTABLE: "I feel like I'm a better player. I feel like I'm a smarter player. I feel like I shoot it better. I feel like I'm more of a threat when I get the ball. I'm just feeling more comfortable on the court."
-- Detroit forward Jonas Jerebko on his comeback from a season-ending injury.

THE STAT: 20. Frank snapped a personal 20-game losing streak as a head coach. He went 0-16 in his last season with New Jersey in 2009-10. The Nets also lost their last game the previous season. His last head coaching win was a 91-87 victory over Charlotte on April 13, 2009.

TURNING POINT: The Pistons lost contact with Boston Friday when they gave up 36 third-quarter points. On Saturday, they took control after halftime by outscoring the Pacers 30-20 in the third. Monroe scored nine of his points and Ben Gordon added seven as Detroit shot 63 percent during the quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "I'm all about setting records. Seriously, it's never about me. It was just good for our group to experience a little success."
-- Pistons coach Lawrence Frank on snapping his personal head-coaching losing streak.

HOT: Monroe, who had 21 double-doubles after Jan. 1 last season, notched his first this season by shooting 8 of 12 from the field. He's averaging 21.5 points the last two games after subpar outings in Indiana and the home opener against Cleveland.

NOT: David West was the Pacers' main offseason acquisition but he wasn't in All-Star form. He had 10 points on 4 of 11 shooting while getting out-hustled by Jerebko before coach Frank Vogel benched him in the fourth quarter.

GOOD MOVE: Vogel went to a smaller lineup in the fourth quarter, pairing up point guards Darren Collison and George Hill while moving Tyler Hansbrough to center. That unit cut Detroit's 19-point lead to six in the final minute but Jerebko made a key steal to seal the Pistons' victory.

BAD MOVE: The Pacers failed to account for Jerebko in the first half when he racked up 16 points. He made four layups, one on a dribble drive and the others off cuts to the basket. He also found room on the 3-point arc, making two before halftime and another after the break when West didn't contest the shot.

NOTABLE: Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva was eligible to play after finishing his four-game NBA suspension but Frank opted to sit him until he got more practice time. ... Pacers forward Danny Granger scored just 11 points on 4 of 15 shooting. ... Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey had a solid all-around game with 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

UP NEXT: For the Pacers, Monday @ New Jersey, Wednesday @ Miami, Friday @ Boston. For the Pistons, Monday vs. Orlando, Wednesday vs. Chicago, Friday @ Philadelphia.

• Pacers: Foster, Pendergraph
• Pistons: --

• Pacers: --
• Pistons: --

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
• Officials: #27 Dick Bavetta, #6 Tony Brown, #29 Mark Lindsay
• Attendance: 8824
• Duration: 2:17