Domantas Sabonis, Darren Collison lead Indiana past Detroit
Indiana Pacers guard Darren Collison (2) ties up Detroit Pistons guard Bruce Brown (6) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Friday, Dec. 28, 2018. The Pacers defeated the Pistons 125-88. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
INDIANAPOLIS — Domantas Sabonis got his league-leading 15th double-double as a reserve, Darren Collison scored 19 points and the Indiana Pacers beat the Detroit Pistons 125-88 on Friday night.
Sabonis had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner each had 17 points. Bojan Bogdanovic and Doug McDermott each scored 12 points.
The Pacers capped a slow opening quarter with a strong finish, leading Detroit 32-21 at the end of the period. Indiana worked with a double-digit lead for the rest of the game and led by 37 during the fourth quarter.
Detroit’s two big men had quiet nights by their standards. Blake Griffin had 18 points and six rebounds, and Andre Drummond had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The Pistons came out flat, contributing to a stale first few minutes. Unlike Indiana, which had seven players in double figures, Detroit didn’t have someone step up to ignite the offense. The Pistons shot only 37 percent from the floor.
The Pacers are a league-best 11-3 in December and 7-2 since Victor Oladipo returned Dec. 12. Oladipo had seven points, five rebounds and seven assists.
TIP-INS
Pistons: Drummond entered the game leading the league with 15.4 rebounds per game. He got his 28th double-double of the season. … The Pistons are 5-14 against teams at or above .500. … Detroit’s 88 points tied for the second fewest the Pacers have allowed this season.
Pacers: Turner has at least three blocks in 15 of his last 22 games.
UP NEXT
Pistons: At Orlando on Sunday.
Pacers: Host Atlanta on Monday.
