BOX SCORE
BY VINCENT
GOODWILL
The Detroit
News
Feb. 16,
2011
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Pistons and Pacers used to engage in so many offensively-challenged games, the NBA implemented rule changes to open up scoring.
Well, in a Pistons season seemingly on life support, they turned away the resilient Pacers Wednesday at The Palace, 115-109 in overtime. It ended a three-game losing streak and gave the Pistons a better taste in their mouths headed to the All-Star break.
Since the Pistons (21-36) haven't been able to stop much of anyone lately, they turned to their offense to get things going, with their highest point total since Dec. 22. Tayshaun Prince led the Pistons with 25 points and 11 rebounds, and could've won the game in regulation.
Prince, being guarded by Danny Granger, was grabbed twice on the final possession of regulation, forcing him into an off-balance jumper that fell well short at the buzzer.
Apparently official Derrick Stafford thought Prince was trapped into a bad decision so he wasn't going to "bail him out."
"I was very surprised, I felt the contact before I shot it," Prince said. "I was also surprised at his reaction, like it was nothing at all."
Then, Ben Gordon (16 points) took over, scoring the first four points in the extra session. His airball turned into the perfect setup for Prince, who slammed it home to give the Pistons a six-point lead with 1:34 remaining.
"This was very good for us," Pistons coach John Kuester said. "Maybe not from them but from me (desperation). We needed some breaks. Every loss compounds something."
The first half was the Pistons' most complete offensive performance spanning 24 minutes, yet they led by only 5 at the break. They shot 64 percent from the field. Neither Gordon nor Prince (7 for 7) missed from the field.
Even though Indiana matched Detroit's firepower, the energy was far different from Monday night's 15-point loss to Atlanta.
"It would solve a lot of our problems," Kuester said. "The players took ownership. When they play with that type of effort, we'll be very tough to beat."
Stuckey abused guards Darren Collison and A.J. Price inside, scoring 10 in the first quarter.
"I thought we did some awfully good things, but we gave up 55 points," Kuester said. "We shot the ball extremely well."
However, they didn't shore up their defensive glass, allowing the Pacers to get 10 offensive rebounds. The Pistons took the risk of letting Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert find their groove.
Hibbert had 29 points and nine rebounds, but Ben Wallace stepped up against the budding center and forced a crucial offensive foul in overtime.
"He made some great plays defensively at the end of the fourth and in overtime," Kuester said of Wallace. "Hibbert is really improved."
Granger (28 points) hit six straight shots during one stretch, returning some of the fire Prince was giving him. Then, after the lead was cut to six, the Pistons put together their most impressive sequence on both ends.
Austin Daye drew an offensive foul on Granger. Then after Gordon drove baseline to find Chris Wilcox for a dunk, Bynum tipped away a pass, starting a fast break where the ball didn't touch the ground, resulting in another Wilcox dunk.
The lead was up to 10 and the threat was seemingly over, but Granger led the Pacers back. However, the Pistons simply needed this more than their Central Division rivals.
"I think this break is good for everyone and hopefully we'll come back with that type of energy," Kuester said.
