AUBURN HILLS, Mich. _ Another night, another loss at the Palace for the Detroit Pistons.
Indiana Pacers star Paul George scored 32 points Tuesday to send the Pistons to a 121-116 loss at the Palace.
The Pistons (16-21) battled back from a 15-point deficit in the second quarter and a late 10-point deficit to cut it to three points with 19 seconds remaining.
But Monta Ellis' free throws with 16.9 seconds accounted for the final score and the Pistons have now lost seven of their last nine at the Palace.
Once again, the Pistons had no answer for George, who was 10-for-17 from the field and 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.
But the Pistons had trouble stopping anyone, as the Pacers (18-18) shot 58.1 percent from the field and were 9-for-16 from 3-point range.
Reggie Jackson scored 20 points and added 12 assists and five rebounds. Andre Drummond had 20 points and 14 rebounds, and Tobias Harris scored 22 points off the bench for the Pistons.
It was another slow start for Detroit, as the Pacers jumped to a 22-11 lead. Indiana made four of their first six 3-point attempts.
The Pistons answered with a 7-0 run to help prevent another blowout loss.
But defense was non-existent for both sides.
The Pacers shot 61 percent from the field, 86 percent from 3-point range and got to the line nine times in taking a 36-28 lead after the first quarter.
Jackson's 13 points and seven assists in the first half helped keep the Pistons around and they only trailed by six _ 66-60 _ at halftime.
The Pistons took several leads in the third quarter _ the last coming with 44.4 seconds left when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made three free throws to give his team a 92-89 lead.
But the game was tied at 92 going into the fourth quarter.
Backup center Aron Baynes missed the game with left ankle sprain, opening the door for minutes for fan favorite Boban Marjanovic.
He played 11 minutes and scored four points and grabbed four rebounds. The crowd received a thrill when he dunked in the second quarter.
"He's a really talented offensive player, very, very skilled with great size," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said before the game. "The challenge is going to be his move laterally. They're working hard on it and you have to give Boban a lot of credit, he's working hard on it. That's really his challenge. If he can get just a little bit better in that area, his offensive skills are significant."
