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West pushes Pacers past Pistons

Dec 16, 2012 - 4:54 AM Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - David West scored 23 points and the Indiana Pacers took down the Detroit Pistons, 88-77, on Saturday.

George Hill, fresh off his first career triple-double in Friday's win over Philadelphia, added 18 points and seven assists for the Pacers, who have won three in a row.

Paul George donated 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Indiana, which had lost three straight at Detroit. Tyler Hansbrough finished with 11 points and six boards.

"It's probably the best one of the year in terms of complete team effort, everybody having to fill in for guys being out and stepping up, and on both ends of the court; solid offensive night, 48 percent, and holding them to 38 percent," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said.

However, the news was not all good for the Pacers. Center Roy Hibbert left the game before the half with a bruised left thigh and did not return.

Greg Monroe ended with 18 points and eight rebounds to pace the Pistons, who have lost four in a row. Rodney Stuckey and Brandon Knight had 15 and 14 points, respectively.

The Pacers trailed 6-2 to begin the contest, but scored the next 15 points to grab a double-digit lead.

Detroit fired back with a 10-1 run to cut the gap to 18-16 with 3:16 left in the first quarter. Indiana took a 26-22 edge into the second.

The Pacers led throughout the second stanza and held a 42-38 margin at the break.

Holding a 55-53 lead with 4:19 remaining in the third period, Indiana went on a 6-0 spurt in which Hansbrough's layup made it a 61-53 contest.

The Pistons managed to score the final five points of the quarter, however, to close the gap to 63-60.

Ahead by two at 68-66 with 8:59 to play, the Pacers then put the game away with an 11-0 run. West tallied five points during the surge, including a jumper with 3:17 left to make it 79-66.

"It came out to be a grind game in the last eight minutes, and they did what they do best. They win grind games," Pistons center Andre Drummond said. "They're a great team and David West hit a lot of tough shots. It was a learning game for us today."

Indiana's double-digit lead held up for the remainder of the game.

Game Notes

The Pacers shot 48.6 percent from the field, while the Pistons made 38.6 percent of their shots ... Indiana has won four of its last five meetings against Detroit.