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George, Pacers pull away to beat Pistons

Apr 3, 2014 - 3:24 AM Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Paul George scored 27 points, including three on a comically long 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter that helped the Indiana Pacers pull away for a 101-94 win over the Detroit Pistons Wednesday.

George was standing near the edge of the Pacers logo at midcourt when he saw the shot clock ticking down the final seconds, so he pulled up and swished the 35-footer to give Indiana a 94-90 lead with a little more than three minutes left.

The clock should have reset on a miss by Roy Hibbert that hit the rim, but call it a lucky mistake that worked in Indiana's favor.

"I told them, 'Don't reset it yet. I think Paul's got something here,'" joked Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "And they didn't reset it and we got something good."

Brandon Jennings made a 3-pointer at the other end for Detroit, but the Pacers ended the game on a 7-1 run to win for just the second time in their last seven games.

David West added 15 points for Indiana and George had 13 rebounds and seven assists. The Pacers remained percentage points behind the Miami Heat for the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference.

Wednesday marked their first win since they beat Miami 84-83 at home on March 26. The Central Division champion Pacers have six games remaining, including one in Miami on April 11. The Heat have eight games left.

Josh Smith led Detroit with 24 points and Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond each had a double-double. Monroe scored 17 with 16 rebounds and Drummond added 13 points and 14 boards.

The Pistons fell to 2-9 in their last 11 games and to 4-17 in their last 21 against the Pacers. They have one win in their last 12 games in Indianapolis -- a 101-96 decision on Dec. 16.

"We are a few plays away from being in a totally different position against a lot of teams, but especially against this team," said Monroe.

The Pacers finished the first quarter with a 12-2 run to take a 28-27 lead into the second and later climbed out of a five-point hole with a 10-0 spurt sparked by Lance Stephenson's dunk and included two 3-pointers by George, but the game remained close almost all the way.

Indiana took a 50-46 advantage into halftime and had a seven-point lead in the third quarter before an 8-0 Detroit run that was capped by 3-pointers from Smith and Jennings. The Pistons took a 74-73 edge into the fourth.

Game Notes

The Pistons were 7-for-16 on 3-pointers, including 6-of-11 in the second half ... The Pacers are at Toronto on Friday, one of three games they have remaining before they play the Heat again on April 11 in Miami ... The Pistons remain on the road to play Brooklyn on Friday.