National Basketball Association

Pistons 115, Pacers 109, OT

Published Feb. 17, 2011 4:16 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Detroit Pistons reaped the benefits of playing hard.

Tayshaun Prince had 25 points and 11 rebounds to help Detroit beat the Indiana Pacers 115-109 in overtime Wednesday night.

The Pistons had lost three straight and eight of 11, including their previous four games at home.

''Our energy was great and the players took ownership,'' coach John Kuester said. ''When they play with that type of effort I'm not saying we'll win the championship, but we'll be very tough to beat.''

Detroit was almost defeated despite controlling the game from start and leading by 10 midway through the fourth quarter, letting Darren Collison tie the game with 15.4 seconds left.

Prince had the ball in the final seconds of regulation with a chance to win it, but didn't get a good shot off or the foul he wanted from the officials.

''I was very surprised because I felt contact, not just when I shot it,'' Prince said. ''But we kept our heads in overtime.''

Prince caught an airballed shot by teammate Ben Gordon and dunked, giving the Pistons a six-point lead with 1:34 left in overtime to set them up for a much-needed victory going into the All-Star break.

''I know they'll all miss me,'' Kuester joked. ''I think this break is good for everyone.''

The Pacers lost on consecutive nights after winning seven of eight, making their best player very angry.

''Sometimes a team goes on vacation one game early for the All-Star break, and this is what happens,'' Danny Granger said. ''We didn't do anything on defense and we got beat.''

Indiana's Roy Hibbert matched a career high with 29 points - a week after he equaled it previously - and Granger scored 28.

''This is part of the process of changing a team in midseason,'' said coach Frank Vogel, who is 7-3 since he was promoted to replace Jim O'Brien. ''I knew focusing on offense and neglecting defense would come back and bite us at some point, and that's what happened.

''We played hard on defense, but we didn't play smart. Our offense was clicking and Roy Hibbert was dominating in the post, but we couldn't stop them.''

The Pistons made 64 percent of their attempts in the first quarter, taking a 33-22 lead, and shot even better in the second quarter before cooling off and finishing with 52-percent shooting overall.

Detroit's Rodney Stuckey scored 18, Gordon had 16 points off the bench, Tracy McGrady scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds and made four assists without a turnover, and rookie Greg Monroe added 13 points.

Indiana's Josh McRoberts had 15 points and 12 rebounds and reserve Dahntay Jones added 11 points.

The Prince-led Pistons trailed only in the opening minute of regulation, were ahead by as much as 12 points and had a 92-82 lead in the fourth quarter. Instead of crumbling and losing a season-high fifth straight at home, Detroit regrouped well enough to outscore the Pacers 11-5 in overtime.

''As a coach, you shouldn't teach effort,'' Kuester said. ''Bottom line, you should be teaching execution. When they do what they did, you don't hear me complain. Even if we lost this game, I would say that effort was great.''

NOTES: Pistons owner Karen Davidson says she's cautiously optimistic the sale of the team will be completed soon. California billionaire Tom Gores have been negotiating exclusively with the Pistons. ... Indiana's Jeff Foster missed the game with an ankle injury and Richard Hamilton was held out with a groin injury. ... Detroit beat Indiana for the first time since Dec. 12, 2008, snapping a six-game skid.