Pistons Hit the Pacers With Their Best Shots

INDIANAPOLIS —  Over a span of almost eight minutes, the Indiana Pacers managed only one point. In a sequence of 19 shots, they missed 18.

The Pacers’ poor shooting put them in a big early hole, and a brief third-quarter comeback was all they could manage the rest of the way as Chauncey Billups scored 29 points to lead the Detroit Pistons past the Pacers, 89-76, on Sunday, tying their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series at 2-2.

Game 5 is at Detroit on Tuesday night.

“This has turned into a great series. But the pressure is always going to be on us; we’re the [defending] champs,” Billups said.

Just as they did Friday when they blew an 18-point lead, the Pacers went cold from the field -- and this time it cost them.

Detroit had a 19-1 first-quarter run and led by 17 later in the first half, then took a 20-point lead late in the third period after Indiana had pulled within six. In the final quarter, the Pistons were never threatened.

“It was a tough little stretch when they got back in the game. We knew they would make a run,” Billups said. “But I wanted to combat that by being extra aggressive. I kind of took it on myself, and they followed me.”

Indiana’s collapse came early, with a free throw by Jamaal Tinsley the Pacers’ only point in a stretch of almost eight minutes.

Rasheed Wallace had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Richard Hamilton added 13 points and seven assists for the Pistons.

“It was answering the bell. We couldn’t afford to go down 3-1 to this team,” said Wallace, who guaranteed a victory after the Game 3 loss on Friday.

Stephen Jackson led Indiana with 23 points and Tinsley had 17. Jermaine O’Neal, continuing a playoff shooting slump, made four of 15 shots from the field and finished with 10 points.

“I was terrible. I didn’t do anything right,” said O’Neal, who has shot only 23% in the last two games.

“It is a cycle in basketball. It always comes back to you,” O’Neal said. “I’m a true believer you should never get too high or too low.

Reggie Miller, who clinched the Game 3 victory with a basket and four free throws in the closing moments, had seven points on two-for-six shooting and missed all four of his three-point attempts.

“It’s pretty obvious after you play a team a number of times, you find out what works,” Detroit Coach Larry Brown said. “As the series has gone on, we’ve tried to be more committed to a pick-and-roll defense, changing up a bit. The big factor was they didn’t get out on the break much.

“And when our defense is set, that’s when you’re going to get turnovers and be a little more difficult to score against,” Brown said.

Indiana’s only lead came in the opening minutes, when two baskets by Dale Davis and a three-pointer by Jackson helped put the Pacers ahead, 9-2.

“They really raised the level of their game. Unfortunately, after a great start, we struggled,” Pacer Coach Rick Carlisle said. “Some of it, the decision-making wasn’t great. We had some good shots but couldn’t hit a bull in the rear end with a bass fiddle.”