Game Rewind: Pacers 96, Pistons 98

As Brandon Jennings, who scored a game-high 37 points, sprinted towards the basket in a tie game with just seconds remaining, the Pacers defense collapsed on him. Although his floater rimmed in and out, it was met by the hand of center Andre Drummond, who tipped in the game-winning basket as the Pacers fell to the Pistons 98-96 on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

With 1:30 remaining in the game, David West found himself open at the elbow, one of his favorite spots on the floor. West (13 points) rose up and hit a jumper to give the Pacers a 95-94 lead as the Fieldhouse rocked with noise. After a pair of Brandon Jennings free throws gave the Detroit the lead once again, a West free throw on the other end tied things up at 96, with just a minute remaining.

It was then however, in the final 60 seconds of the game, that Roy Hibbert was whistled for an offensive foul while backing down Drummond, giving Detroit the game's final shot, which turned into the eventual game-winner.

After scoring 14 first-half points, Detroit guard Brandon Jennings erupted for a 19-point third quarter in which he drained four of his seven 3-point attempts. And although making on just six of his 14 attempts, center Andre Drummond hauled in a game-high 16 rebounds while scoring 16 points.

"He just caught fire from the perimeter much like Mo Williams did," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said of Jennings. "(Solomon Hill) did a great job on him. We did everything we needed to do to win the basketball game."

After starting the second half on an 11-2 run, Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy called timeout to regroup his team. Following the stoppage, the Pistons were able to close the gap, eventually tying the game at 68, and leading by as much as six in the final frame.

But it was then that the Pacers' bench unit, which combined for 50 points on the night, came in and swung the game back in Indiana's favor. Center Ian Mahinmi had his best game since returning from a foot injury that had sidelined him since the start of December, as the reserve scored 12 points and grabbed nine boards. Damjan Rudez had a memorable game as well, as he connected on 5-of-8 shots for 13 points; including a 3-pointer with just under 10 minutes remaining to bring the Pacers within one point of the lead.

Also with a strong performance was Roy Hibbert, who scored 14 points and shot on 7-of-11 shots from the field.

Although the Pistons shot just 38 percent from the field, their inside-out offense was able to connect on 13 3-point shots, eight of which were from the hot hand of Jennings.

It was a win that the Pacers fought desperately to have as they face an impending five-game road trip which begins tomorrow night in Charlotte. But on a night when they shot a higher percentage than their opponent. A night when they had more assists, steals, points in the paint and fewer turnovers, it was one offensive rebound that made all the difference.

“It’s tough right now, I thought we fought throughout this whole game," said Mahinmi, as he sat in front of his locker with his feet dipped in ice. "We played our brand of basketball. It’s just tough to lose like that."

Over the past two games, two guards have scored a combined 89 points versus the Pacers. 52 from Mo Williams on Tuesday, and 37 from Jennings tonight.

Drummond's 10 offensive rebounds were the most any opponent has had versus Indiana this season.

Brandon Jennings' eight 3-pointers were the most any opponent has had against the Pacers this season.

"I was just happy to be out there and to be back in the rotation after that bronchitis I had around Christmas. I kind of fell out of the rotation. It feels good out there. I know I have confidence in my teammates and my coaching staff, so I just try to do good things and come off the bench providing real positive energy." -Damjan Rudez on his night

"I thought I did decent…I thought I fought well and tried to give it my all. There’s obviously a bunch of areas where I can get better. I’ll look at the tape and move forward." -Ian Mahinmi

"If I see a couple shots falling, everyone knows I’m going to keep shooting. I was able to get into a rhythm and also find guys, so everything kind of worked out. (On the last play of the game) My main thing was to take it to the rim, 23 seconds left, definitely get the last shot. If anything, get a high floater and if I missed it I know Dre (Andre Drummond) or somebody could be there to tip it in. That’s just a play that me and Dre have in our heads.” -Brandon Jennings on the final shot

"It was isolate Brandon Jennings and let him go get the last shot and obviously he had been on fire. I like the play he made rather than just shoot the fade away jumper to go on the attack and draw some help and get the ball up on the glass where he knows we’ve got two really good offensive rebounders. Once they take a body off Andre you’ve got a chance and he did a good job. He got it high where the ball would get to the weak side and then would get up in the air and you got the tip in." -Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy on the final shot

The Pistons only had one player shoot better than 50 percent from the field on the night, but Detroit's 21-of-24 made free throws and 13 3-pointers were enough for the Pistons to pull out the 98-96 win.

The Pacers take to the road to face Lance Stephenson and the Charlotte Hornets tomorrow night at 7 PM