National Basketball Association
Indiana 125, Detroit 88
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, December 28, 2018
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials: #72 JT Orr, #20 Leroy Richardson, #25 Tony Brothers
Attendance: 17923

Domantas Sabonis led a balanced effort with 19 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, and the Indiana Pacers won their fourth straight by overwhelming the Detroit Pistons 125-88 on Friday in Indianapolis.

Darren Collison also scored 19 points while making all seven of his field-goal attempts, and he had seven assists. Myles Turner and Thaddeus Young contributed 17 points apiece, and Doug McDermott and Bojan Bogdanovic tossed in 12 each.

Tyreke Evans chipped in 10 points on a night when Indiana's usual leading scorer, Victor Oladipo, was held to seven points on 2-of-9 shooting. The Pacers scored 30 points off Detroit's 22 turnovers.

Blake Griffin had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Pistons but also committed seven turnovers. Luke Kennard had 14 points off the bench, Reggie Bullock added 13, and Andre Drummond chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Sabonis had 11 points and eight rebounds by halftime as the Pacers jumped to a 58-45 lead.

The Pacers created separation when they finished the first quarter on a 14-6 run to gain a 32-21 advantage. Sabonis and Bogdanovic each scored four points during that span.

A string of six consecutive Indiana points made it 46-30 midway through the second quarter. Sabonis had an uncontested dunk in the middle of it, forcing Pistons coach Dwane Casey to call timeout.

The Pistons were down by double digits the remainder of the game. Kennard's three-point play with 1:01 left in the half pulled the visitors within 11. Collison's jumper 15 seconds later provided the last points of the half.

A 9-0 spurt early in the second half stretched Indiana's lead to 20. Collison had an assist, a dunk and a 3-pointer during that span.

Indiana nudged its lead to 86-63 on a Turner jumper and Sabonis free throw. The Pacers led 91-69 entering the fourth quarter. The Pacers' advantage continued to expand throughout the final period.

The Central Division rivals were playing the first of four games this season.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Indiana
Blake Griffin 18 Scoring Darren Collison 19
Jose Calderon 7 Assists Darren Collison 7
Andre Drummond 12 Rebounds Domantas Sabonis 11
Blake Griffin 3 Free Throws Made Darren Collison 3
Langston Galloway 2 Steals Darren Collison 2
Andre Drummond 3 Blocks Myles Turner 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Detroit 88 37.4 9-36 11-12 25 44 6 7 22
Indiana 125 60.9 5-19 14-20 33 43 5 11 13
Upcoming Games
  • Indiana will play their next game at home against Atlanta. The Pacers have a W/L % of .652 after a win and .692 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game on the road against Orlando. The Pistons have a W/L % of .588 after a win and .375 after a loss.