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Pistons lose to Pacers 121-116 despite late comeback attempt
The Detroit Pistons (16-21) have lost to the Indiana Pacers (18-18) 121-116 despite a late-game comeback attempt.
The Detroit Pistons trailed their Central Division rivals for almost the entire game tonight, only leading about six out of a possible 48 minutes.
Point guard Reggie Jackson meanwhile helped keep the Pistons in the game, recording 20 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds on 44 per cent shooting.
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Despite trailing most of the way, the Pistons kept the game fairly close, shooting the ball well in the first three quarters.
In the fourth quarter though, Detroit’s offense struggled, allowing the Pacers to move their lead back to double digits with two minutes to go.
The Pistons were able to almost close the gap with a late 10-2 run in the span of about 70 seconds thanks to clutch shots by Marcus Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Unfortunately, it would be a little too late as the Pacers were able to seal the game at the line.
One of the Pistons’ main problems tonight was their foul troubles. Indiana finished the game 26-30 from the charity stripe, including 10 made attempts by Paul George (he led the way in scoring with 32 points).
The Pistons were 12-14 as a team.
The Pacers are now back at the .500 mark while the Pistons fall to 5-11 with Jackson back in the lineup.
Reggie Jackson
PG, Detroit Pistons
A-Reggie Jackson played very well tonight, scoring 20 points to go along with 12 assists and seven rebounds. He was one of the main reasons why the Pistons were able to stay in the game, helping create opportunities for his teammates and making high-quality shots. He also had three turnovers and did not make a single shot in the fourth quarter.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SG, Detroit Pistons
BKentavious Caldwell-Pope finished tonight with 16 points, five assists and three rebounds. He was one of only two players to finish with a positive plus-minus rating tonight (+3) in the losing effort. Caldwell-Pope struggled shooting the ball, making just five of his 13 attempts and one of his five three-pointers.
Marcus Morris
SF, Detroit Pistons
CMarcus Morris played well for the Pistons tonight, recording 14 points on 6-14 shooting as well as four rebounds. Six of those points came on two clutch three-point shots down the stretch during the 10-2 run. That may sound great, but he missed his other five three-point attempts. Three of those misses came in the final quarter. He (and many others) also struggled to guard forward Paul George.
Tobias Harris
PF, Detroit Pistons
ADespite coming off the bench, Tobias Harris was again Detroit’s leading scorer tonight, recording 22 points, five rebounds and two assists. He was also the only other player to finish with a positive plus-minus rating and made nine of his 14 shots.
Andre Drummond
C, Detroit Pistons
B+Another night, another double-double for Andre Drummond. The big man finished with 20 points and a team-high 14 rebounds. Seven of those came off of the offensive glass, taking advantage of Indiana’s lack of size in the paint. The problem is he had a hard time guarding Myles Turner – who scored 17 points – tonight. Turner was able to operate from the perimeter with impunity as Drummond is out of his comfort zone away from the basket. It was still a solid night for the star center overall.
Stanley Johnson
SF, Detroit Pistons
CNot much to say about Stanley Johnson tonight. He finished with three points and a rebound in seven minutes. Three of his four shot attempts were from three-point range.
Ish Smith
PG, Detroit Pistons
C-It was a very quiet and unproductive night for Ish Smith. In 15 minutes, Smith had three points, four assists and three turnovers. He did not appear to do much on both ends of the floor, including missing his two free throw attempts.
Jon Leuer
PF, Detroit Pistons
BJon Leuer finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, three turnovers and one steal while starting tonight. While he was a team-worst -10 in the plus-minus category, the Pistons’ offense seemed to flow better with Leuer on the floor at the center position.
Boban Marjanovic
C, Detroit Pistons
CWith Aron Baynes out of tonight’s game, Boban Marjanovic played 10 minutes off the bench to fill the void and guard Al Jefferson. He finished with four points and four rebounds. Overall, he did okay filling in for Baynes.Next: 15 games in, let's check on Reggie Jackson and the Pistons
Stan Van Gundy
Head Coach, Detroit Pistons
D+I was not impressed in regards to coaching tonight. Even though the Pistons were shooting well, they struggled to make defensive stops. At times, it became a back-and-forth affair. Other times, it was like the Pistons were running the same play over and over again – drive into the paint, kick it out to the open shooter from the right-center side of the three-point arc, shoot it, repeat. Yes, Stan Van Gundy’s adjustments definitely helped the team rally back into the game in the third quarter, but it felt like he was struggling to find a way to slow down the Pacers’ red-hot offense (58.1 percent from the field), leading to the 30 free throw attempts.This article originally appeared on 
