Paul George scored 27 points, including three on a comically long shot late in the fourth quarter that helped the Indiana Pacers pull away for a 101-94 win over the Detroit Pistons Wednesday.
George was standing near the edge of the Pacers logo at midcourt when he saw the shot clock ticking down the final seconds, so he pulled up and swished the 35-footer to give Indiana a 94-90 lead with a little more than three minutes left.
The clock should have reset on a miss by Roy Hibbert that hit the rim, but call it a lucky mistake that worked in Indiana's favor. Brandon Jennings made a 3-pointer at the other end for Detroit, but the Pacers ended the game on a 7-1 run to win for just the second time in their last seven games.
David West added 15 points for Indiana and George had 13 rebounds and seven assists. The Pacers remained percentage points behind the Miami Heat for the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Wednesday marked their first win since they beat Miami 84-83 at home last Wednesday.
Josh Smith led Detroit with 24 points and Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond each had a double-double. Monroe scored 17 with 16 rebounds and Drummond added 13 points and 14 boards.
The Pistons fell to 2-9 in their last 11 games.
[SportsNetwork.com]
