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Sunday, Apr. 16 8:00pm ET
Minus Hill, Pistons can't keep pace with Indiana | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- The Indiana Pacers have been waiting a long time for what they finally accomplished Sunday. The Pacers clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history, beating the Detroit Pistons 112-101. "This is sweet, and even more so because everyone said we were too old and we were has-beens and bums who should all get traded in November," said Reggie Miller, who led the Pacers with 21 points. "But the important thing is that any deciding game is going to have to come to Indiana. We think we are the best team in the East, but we feel even better knowing that someone will have to come to Conseco for a clinching game," Miller said. Dale Davis added 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Pacers, who will have the homecourt advantage in the first three rounds of the playoffs. "I'm really happy for these guys," said Pacers coach Larry Bird. "We struggled at times during the season, but we kept at it. Now we can just get ready for the playoffs." The Pistons clinched a playoff spot earlier in the day when Orlando lost at Miami. Grant Hill sat out with a bone bruise in his left foot. He managed just four points in a season-low 16 minutes Saturday night at Philadelphia. Six Pacers scored in double figures, including Jalen Rose, who scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. "Obviously, it changes their entire team when you take Grant out of there," said Rose, a native of Detroit. "I really struggled early, then I finally got my shot back in the fourth quarter." Jerry Stackhouse led Detroit with 26 before getting ejected for his second technical with 12.5 seconds to play. Michael Curry replaced Hill with a season-high 23. Stackhouse criticized the officiating crew of Mike Mathis, David Jones and Monty McCutchen after the game. "It doesn't really matter any more, because it is the same guys," he said. "Every time they come here, we lose. You've got guys who hold grudges, and then you've got guys who fall right into line with them. It's hard to beat eight guys." The Pacers led by 15 in the first quarter behind 11 points from Miller, and although Detroit got within six late in the second, Indiana scored five points in the final 30 seconds to take a 61-50 lead into the half. The Pistons used a 7-2 run to cut the Pacers lead to 69-63 midway through the third, but Rik Smits' 19-foot jumper at the buzzer gave Indiana a 87-78 lead with 12 minutes to play. Mikki Moore started the fourth with a pair of free throws, but those were the Pistons' only points in the first three minutes, allowing the Pacers to expand their edge to 92-80. The Pistons narrowed the margin to 99-92 with 4:39 to go, but consecutive uncontested dunks by Austin Croshere, Davis and Rose put the game back out of reach. "I wasn't overly pleased with our defense," said Pistons coach George Irvine. "But that's a very good offensive team. It wasn't like we were just going through the motions." Game notesDetroit Tigers slugger Juan Gonzalez attended the game after playing in the Tigers' 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay earlier in the day. ... Davis picked up a flagrant foul for flattening Jerome Williams on a third-quarter drive. Williams landed flat on his back, and stayed down for several moments, but remained in the game. ... Stackhouse and Mikki Moore each received first-half technicals -- Stackhouse for arguing a call and Moore for hanging on the rim. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Indiana Clubhouse Detroit Clubhouse Foot injury benches Pistons' Hill vs. Pacers
RECAPS Miami 95 Orlando 84
Indiana 112
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