The Sports Xchange
Dec 26, 2017
DETROIT -- Tobias Harris scored 26 of his 30 points in the first half, and the Detroit Pistons won for the fifth time in six games, thumping the Indiana Pacers 107-83 on Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena.
Andre Drummond supplied 21 points and 18 rebounds for the Pistons, who never trailed. Ish Smith added 12 points, and Reggie Bullock chipped in 11.
Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson sprained his right ankle during the third quarter and immediately went down to the court in severe pain. He couldn't put any pressure on the leg and was helped to the locker room by the team's medical staff. Jackson had eight points and a season-high 13 assists prior to the injury.
Victor Oladipo, who came into the game averaging 25.3 points, scored a season-low 13 points for Indiana (19-15). Bojan Bogdanovic, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis added 10 points apiece for the Pacers.
Harris carried Detroit (19-14) to a 58-45 halftime lead.
The Pistons tied their highest-scoring quarter of the season while jumping to a 40-19 lead. Harris led the first-quarter explosion with 21 points, making all seven of his field-goal attempts, including a handful of 3-pointers. Detroit recorded 14 assists on 15 baskets in the quarter, with Jackson distributing half of them.
With the Pistons' second unit on the floor, the Pacers chipped away and eventually pulled within eight. Detroit nudged the lead back to 13 by halftime as Harris made another jumper in the final minute.
The Pistons led by as much as 12 early in the third and were up 72-55 when they called a timeout after Jackson's injury. Detroit brought an 82-66 lead into the fourth quarter, and the Pacers couldn't muster a run.
NOTES: Pistons SG Avery Bradley missed his fifth consecutive game due to a right groin injury. ... The Pistons are 10-0 at home when leading after three quarters. ... Indiana SG Victor Oladipo ranks No. 6 in the league in scoring after being traded from Oklahoma City during the offseason. "It's mainly opportunity," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "He shot it well last year but with (Russell) Westbrook, (Oladipo) was playing off the ball virtually all of the time. This is the first time he's really gotten a chance to be the guy, undisputed, where the ball is in his hands all the time." ... Detroit won the season series 3-1. ... Pistons PG Dwight Buycks appeared in his first NBA game since playing six games with the Los Angeles Lakers for six games during the 2014-15 season. He did not score in two minutes of action.