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Pistons hand Pacers their first loss

Jan 1, 2012 - 3:02 AM Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Jonas Jerebko poured in a game-high 20 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, leading the Detroit Pistons to a 96-88 victory over the Indiana Pacers at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Greg Monroe finished with 19 points to go with 11 boards, while Ben Gordon had 16 points and Rodney Stuckey chipped in with 15, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Pistons, who got their first win under new head coach Lawrence Frank.

"We took a step closer in terms of playing defense and limiting teams to one shot," Frank said. "Obviously we have to defend the three better, and offensively sharing the ball, not caring who gets the credit."

Tyler Hansbrough and George Hill had 16 points and five rebounds apiece for Indiana, which tasted defeat for the first time this season.

Darren Collison ended with 15 points and eight assists, while Danny Granger and David West had 11 and 10 points, respectively.

After a back-and-fourth first quarter which featured six ties and six lead changes, the Pistons held a slim 21-18 edge.

Detroit led by as many as four in the period, while Indiana's largest lead was three. Detroit shot 43 percent in the quarter and was paced by Jerebko with eight points, while the Pacers ended the frame shooting 32 percent and were led on the score sheet by Hansbrough, who netted six points.

Detroit opened the second quarter with a 10-3 push to take a 31-22 lead with 8:56 to play before halftime.

The Pistons kept Indiana at bay throughout the remainder of the quarter, leading by as many as 12 with 3 1/2 minutes to go in the half. They ended the quarter shooting 52 percent and led by eight, 52-44.

Detroit continued to play well in the third quarter, putting some serious separation between themselves and the Pacers.

Leading by six, 54-48, with 9:58 to go in the third frame, the Pistons used a 15-8 burst to take a 13-point lead, 69-56, with 4:45 left.

Detroit shot 63 percent in the quarter and a bank shot by Gordon with 1:08 to go gave the Pistons their largest lead of the night at 19, 80-61. They led by 18, 82-64, after three quarters of play.

Indiana outscored the Pistons by a 24-14 margin in the final quarter and made it interesting in the final minute of the game, when a jumper by Hansbrough with 1:07 left brought the Pacers within six, 94-88. But Monroe's tip-in sealed the win for Detroit.

"Hats off to Detroit, they were aggressive tonight," Pacers head coach Frank Vogel said. "Jerebko and Monroe outplayed our frontcourt. They played a great game."

Game Notes

Detroit leads the all-time series with Indiana, 86-79...Pistons guard Tayshaun Prince finished with 12 points and four rebounds...Detroit shot 48 percent from the floor and 53 percent from beyond the arc, while Indiana shot 40 percent from the floor and 33 percent from three-point range...The Pistons got the better of the play on the glass, outrebounding Indiana, 49-36.