(SportsNetwork.com) - The Indiana Pacers only have themselves to blame for their recent fall from grace and look to avoid a fourth straight loss Wednesday versus the Detroit Pistons.
The Pacers have dropped three in a row, five of six and six of their last eight games, including Monday's 103-77 setback to the sizzling San Antonio Spurs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Paul George scored 16 points and Lance Stephenson had 15 for the Pacers, who haven't shot more than 40 percent from the floor in six games and gave up a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter. Roy Hibbert also scored 15 points in the loss.
"Their togetherness really showed, that's where they beat us," George said of the veteran Spurs. "That was a team that's all together playing as one, the team that we were to start the year."
San Antonio set a new franchise record with its 18th consecutive win.
Indiana's recent woes has the team percentage points behind the Miami Heat for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Miami hosts Milwaukee Wednesday.
The Pacers have the league's best home record at 33-5 and are still first in opponents' scoring (91.8) despite giving up 100-plus points to the Spurs. Teams are also shooting an NBA-low 41.8 percent against the Pacers, who are allowing just 35.3 ppg in the paint.
Detroit ended a three-game slide with Monday's 116-111 triumph versus the Bucks and was led by Greg Monroe's 28 points and 14 rebounds. Brandon Jennings had 20 points and 13 assists, while Andre Drummond ended with 10 and 16 boards.
Josh Smith and Kyle Singler scored 26 and 14 points, respectively, for the Pistons, who won for just the third time in the last 14 games. The Pistons shot 47 percent.
"We were just talking about keep getting stops, keep chipping away, keep communicating with each other and sharing the basketball. That's what we did," said Smith.
Monroe is averaging 20.0 points and 10.7 rebounds in his last three games and Singler is posting 13.3 ppg in the past four. Drummond is second in the NBA with 12.8 rebounds per game and first in the East with 49 double-doubles.
Detroit has lost two of three matchups with the Central rival Pacers this season is just 2-9 in the previous 11 games in this series. The Pistons snapped a 10-game losing streak at Indiana with a 101-96 win on Dec. 16.
Stephenson is averaging 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game through three meetings against the Pistons this season.
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