National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Detroit 101, Indiana 96
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, December 16, 2013
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials: #24 Mike Callahan, #36 David Jones, #34 Kevin Cutler
Attendance: 15443

Pistons 101, Pacers 96: Josh Smith scored 30 points and grabbed seven rebounds and Greg Monroe tallied 13 points and 12 boards as Detroit held on to hand Indiana its first home loss.

Brandon Jennings collected 18 points and eight assists and Josh Harrellson added seven points and 10 rebounds off the bench for the Pistons, who snapped a six-game skid against the Pacers and won at Indiana for the first time since 2008. Smith, who has recorded consecutive 30-point games, hit a pair of free throws and came up with a big block of David West's layup attempt in the final minute to help Detroit preserve the lead.

Lance Stephenson scored a career-high 23 points to go with seven rebounds and six assists to lead Indiana, which dropped to 11-1 at home with its second loss in its last six games. Luis Scola scored 18 on 8-of-11 shooting and Paul George tallied 17 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers.

Detroit's lead was as large as 11 in the third quarter before Indiana trimmed it to 79-73 entering the final stanza. Scola scored 12 in the fourth quarter to help the Pacers get within two, but Jennings answered with a 3-pointer and the Pistons went 7-of-8 from the foul line in the final 2:17 to avoid a repeat of Sunday's loss to Portland in which they squandered a 13-point lead in the second half.

Detroit never trailed, but it had a tough time shaking Indiana. The Pistons led by as many as nine in the first quarter but needed to score the final seven points of the half - including Jonas Jerebko's 3-pointer just before the buzzer - to take a 56-49 lead into the break.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Smith had not scored more than 25 points in Detroit's first 24 games this season but is averaging 30.5 in the past two contests. … Pacers C Roy Hibbert was limited to six points on 2-of-12 shooting and matched a season low with four rebounds. … Pistons G Will Bynum returned after missing 10 games with groin and hamstring injuries, scoring seven points in 11 minutes off the bench.

Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Indiana
Josh Smith 30 Scoring Lance Stephenson 23
Brandon Jennings 8 Assists Lance Stephenson 6
Greg Monroe 12 Rebounds Paul George 9
Brandon Jennings 8 Free Throws Made Paul George 8
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 2 Steals Paul George 2
Josh Harrellson 2 Blocks Roy Hibbert 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Detroit 101 43.2 7-20 18-28 14 55 7 3 8
Indiana 96 43.2 6-17 20-27 18 40 4 5 8
Upcoming Games
  • Indiana will play their next game on the road against Miami. The Pacers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game on the road against Boston. The Pistons have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.