NBA Game Summary - Indiana at Detroit

Auburn Hills, MI (Basketball News) - Tayshaun Prince netted 17 points to lead a balanced Detroit attack as the Pistons routed Indiana, 98-73, at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Lindsey Hunter added a season-high 14 points and dished off five assists for the Pistons, who won for the seventh time in their past eight contests and have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Ben Wallace contributed just four points but pulled down a season-high 22 rebounds while Richard Hamilton had 12 points in the win.

Stephen Jackson tallied 15 points for the Pacers, who lost for the seventh time in their past eight contests. Indiana remains in the No. 7 position in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, just one game ahead of Chicago and Philadelphia.

After a solid second quarter, Detroit ran away with the game in the third frame. The Pistons came out of the locker room and scored 15 of the quarter’s first 19 points to take firm control of the contest. Billups capped the run with a three 6 1/2 minutes into the stanza to make the score 60-39.

Detroit continued to hold the Pacers at arm’s length the rest of the quarter and took a 72-52 lead into the final frame.

The Pacers were unable to make any kind of run in the fourth quarter and the Pistons continued to pour it own.

Carlos Delfino’s layup with under five minutes remaining put the Pistons up by thirty, 92-62.

Then, Kelvin Cato’s lay-in with 2:17 left in the contest gave Detroit its largest lead of the game, 98-64, as the Pistons cruised towards the finish line.

The Pacers took a slim 20-19 advantage after the first 12 minutes but the Pistons settled down and used an excellent second quarter to take a 45-35 edge into intermission.