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Pacers dominate Pistons for second straight night

Feb 24, 2013 - 4:34 AM Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - George Hill scored 17 points and Paul George had 12 points and 12 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Detroit Pistons, 90-72, on Saturday at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

David West had 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Pacers, who defeated the Pistons for the second time in as many nights. Indiana won 114-82 on Friday in Indianapolis.

"Another step to get back to .500 on the road," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "Our defense carried us throughout most the game. We held these guys to 33 percent shooting. We struggled to make shots, but our passing was still great, but we still ended up with 45 percent (shooting) which is pretty good."

Danny Granger made his season debut after being sidelined with a left knee injury and recorded two points and two rebounds off the bench.

Will Bynum had a team-high 15 points but was ejected for striking Tyler Hansbrough in the groin in the fourth quarter. Jose Calderon added 13 points and Greg Monroe registered 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Pistons, who have lost three of their last four games.

"At the end of the day they were able to sustain their defense for a full 48 minutes, it's a credit to them," said Pistons coach Lawrence Frank. "They were able to make some key shots and for us we had some dips in our defense, especially in the second half, and our inability to make some open shots. Sometimes it's a domino effect. You start missing open shots, start pressing a little bit. They are obviously are ahead of us for a reason. We just need to learn from it and grow and get better."

The Pacers started strong, scoring 10 straight points in the first four minutes of the game. By the end of the first quarter, Indiana had a 16-9 advantage and limited the Pistons to 3-of-21 shooting.

After four consecutive points by the Pacers' D.J. Augustin, Bynum made a long jumper to spark a 12-0 run, which was capped with a 3-pointer by Charlie Villanueva.

West's hook shot allowed the Pacers to move ahead again, and Augustin's 3- pointer gave the Pacers a 25-21 edge with 5:54 to play.

Detroit got within 27-26 following a Bynum layup, but Indiana responded by scoring 12 in a row. Roy Hibbert finished the flurry with four straight points, before the Pistons interrupted the rally with a Monroe layup to end the half at 39-28.

In the third, the Pacers began to pull away. West was a major factor, scoring 12 points in the period alone, and Ian Mahinmi contributed six rebounds.

Entering the fourth, Indiana was up 63-48, and both teams emptied their benches down the stretch.

Indiana extended its lead by as much as 21 points.

Game Notes

Detroit's five starters combined for 11 points on 4-of-22 shooting in the first half ... The Pistons struggled from 3-point range, shooting 2-of-14. Granger shot 1-of-10, including 0-of-4 from behind the arc.