Game Rewind
Indiana's preseason record improved to 3-1, after defeating the Detroit Pistons 101-97 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The night belonged to Pacers point guards George Hill and Toney Douglas.
Hill, who missed the last game due to an ankle injury, played his best game of the preseason, scoring 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. What Hill started in the first three quarters, Douglas continued in the fourth.
The game was neck and neck through three periods, with the Pistons leading 74-73 heading into the fourth. Four minutes into the last quarter, the game was tied 82-82, with Douglas scoring all nine of Indiana's points.
"He played really well," head coach Frank Vogel said. "He's a good veteran voice in the locker room and has a good skill with his defensive presence."
Douglas finished with a team-high 15 points, all of which came in the fourth quarter.
"It felt good," Douglas said of his performance. "Anytime I'm out on the floor, I'm going to produce on both ends, defense and offense."
The teams remained close, tied 93-93 with 3:28 remaining. But a 6-0 run courtesy of two Douglas free throws, a Myles Turner long jump shot and Glenn Robinson III floater put Indiana ahead for good.
Robinson had another impressive performance. The young wing scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and grabbed six rebounds.
"I think teams are starting to run out at me and trying not to let me take that three," Robinson III said. "I just had some driving opportunities this game. And defensively, just staying aggressive, that's what's going to get me on the court."
Rookie Myles Turner continues to look more and more comfortable. He finished with four points, three rebounds and two blocks, one of which helped seal Indiana's victory.
"I was very proud of our young guys tonight," Vogel said. "They had a great fourth quarter performance."
On the other side, Detroit was led by center Andre Drummond. He dominated the paint, finishing with 17 points and a game-high 21 rebounds. Ersan Ilyasova finished with 17, including four three-pointers. Point guard Reggie Jackson also scored 17.
Inside The Numbers
- The Pacers shot 89% (16-of-18) from the free-throw line.
- Indiana forced 20 turnovers, while only giving away the ball 14 times itself.
- Glenn Robinson III's +/- of +10 was the highest on the team.
Noteworthy
- In his first action of the season, Chase Budinger finished with seven points.
- Paul George scored all of his 13 points in just 12 minutes of action.
- The Pacers have now scored more than 100 points in three of four preseason games.
Stat of the Night
Indiana was able to win despite being outrebounded 53-40.
Up Next
The Pacers head to Cleveland for an October 15 contest against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, last year's Eastern Conference champions. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m.