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Game Rewind: Pacers 109, Pistons 119

Game Recap

Despite another solid offensive effort from the Pacers—who have now shot 50 percent or better as a team in three consecutive games—the Blue-and-Gold fell to the Detroit Pistons on the road, 119-109.

The Pistons' offense was a well-oiled machine, connecting on 10 of their 26 3-point attempts on the night, and shooting a cotton-scorching 54.7 percent from the field.

In the post, the tandem of Andre Drummond (20 points, six rebounds) and Greg Monroe (19 points, 15 rebounds) was a handful for Indiana's defense. Pacers head coach Frank Vogel elected to begin fouling Drummond in the final quarter, whose obvious Achilles heel is his foul shooting, where he shot just 2-of-8 on the night.

"You've got an elite roller in Andre Drummond that is a very difficult challenge," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said after the game. "They're making shots. You've got to give them credit. They played a great basketball game."

When the Blue-and-Gold swarmed Detroit in the paint, the forwards kicked it out to Pistons shooters who consistently drained their jumpers. Starting guards Brandon Jennings and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope combined for 29 points on the night.

The Pacers were bolstered by a strong effort from Roy Hibbert, who had a team-high 19 points and grabbed five rebounds. Unfortunately for Hibbert, a loose ball foul in the fourth quarter was his sixth and he fouled out of the game with 5:52 remaining.

Solomon Hill, C.J. Watson, and Luis Scola all contributed 14 points for the Pacers and David West grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. George Hill, who is still slowly increasing his minutes (27 tonight), collected 13 points, including a driving layup with six minutes remaining in the game, bringing the deficit to single digits. But a 6-0 run two minutes later seemed to seal the game for Detroit, who had built a 13-point lead.

Two runs proved costly for the Blue-and-Gold: a 15-4 first-quarter onslaught, and a 14-2 run in the third frame. Even when Indiana closed out shooters and contested shots, the Pistons' high-octane offense could not be slowed, as they soared to their season high for points scored with 119.

"We got post-ups for Andre (Drummond) down low. We got catch-and-shoots for Jodie (Meeks) and we got a lot of people involved," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Our ball movement was great. Our offense was great.”

The Blue-and-Gold take to the road again tomorrow night when they play the Brooklyn Nets at 8 PM.

Inside the Numbers

The Pistons' 36 third quarter points were the most allowed by Indiana in the third frame.

After the Pacers shot a season-high 50 percent from the field two nights in a row, they once again set their season high, shooting 50.6 percent.

David West's 11 rebounds were his season high.

You Can Quote Me On That

"They're a good team. They have a lot of pieces that have been there for a while. I didn't think it would take them long to get the chemistry going again." - Pacers center Roy Hibbert on the Pistons

"We just got to play better. We turned the ball over too much tonight. It's a completely different kind of opponent. We'll game plan for Brooklyn." - Frank Vogel on the Pacers' next game

“I think the ball just moved. Guys were aggressive, but they were smart at the same time. I think we just took good shots.” - Pistons center Greg Monroe on their offensive shot distribution

“I thought our effort defensively was better tonight. We had trouble guarding the ball off the dribble, we fouled a lot and we still made a lot of mistakes. I liked our effort tonight; I thought our effort was a lot better.” - Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy on his team's effort

Stat of the Game

The Blue-and-Gold fell to 1-8 in the first game of back-to-backs.

Noteworthy

  • George Hill's 27 minutes played was his season high
  • Rodney Stuckey scored nine points before leaving the game with a facial contusion

Up Next

The Pacers play the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on Saturday night at 8PM

Tickets

The Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday, Dec. 29 to host Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls. Limited seats remain. Plus, pay zero fees for any tickets purchased online through December 31, courtesy of FOX Sports Indiana. Find Tickets »