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Wednesday, Nov. 15 7:30pm ET
Pacers 'wanted to win this for' Thomas

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Indiana Pacers coach Isiah Thomas insisted that Wednesday's visit to the Palace of Auburn Hills was no big deal.

His players knew better.

Reggie Miller scored 30 points while Travis Best added 22 as the Pacers beat the Detroit Pistons 92-88 Wednesday night.

"Isiah coming back to Detroit was a lot like the last few years when Coach (Larry) Bird would go back to Boston," Miller said. "They would act like it was just another game, but you could see it in their eyes. Isiah has a lot of tradition in this town, and we wanted to win this for him."

Thomas, who spent his Hall of Fame playing career with the Pistons, was given a standing ovation by the sparse crowd during pregame introductions.

"I wouldn't trade the feeling I got when I walked back on that court for anything in the world," Thomas said. "It was great to realize that the fans here still appreciate what we did."

Jalen Rose's return to the Pacers lineup was delayed for at least one more game. The Detroit native, who has missed the entire season with a fractured wrist, had hoped to return against the Pistons but did not dress for the game.

"It's a boost that we have been able to get to 5-2 without Jalen," Best said. "We don't have one of our main players, and even the two games we lost, we had a great chance to win."

Austin Croshere had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana.

Jerry Stackhouse led Detroit with 29 points, and Cedric Ceballos scored 19.

"We had opportunities to win this game, but that's not any consolation," Stackhouse said. "This was a game we should have won. We can't just let teams keep coming back on us like that."

The Pistons missed nine of their first 10 shots in the fourth, but two baskets from Stackhouse put them ahead, 86-85.

Miller answered with a jumper and, after two Detroit misses and a turnover, hit a fast-break layup to make it 89-86 with 25.7 seconds left.

Stackhouse threw the ball away on the ensuing possession, and Miller made a free throw to put the Pacers up by four.

"I thought we played hard enough to win, and we held a good team to under 40 percent shooting," said Pistons coach George Irvine. "But in the second half, in crucial situations, we had too many turnovers."

After two free throws from Chucky Atkins, Miller hit another pair from the line to wrap up the victory.

Indiana took a 16-4 lead in the game's opening moments, but the Pistons were within 25-19 by the end of the first quarter. Ceballos and Mateen Cleaves sparked a 14-4 run by that helped the Pistons to a 55-46 advantage at the half.

The Pacers rallied in the third behind eight points each from Miller and little-used Jeff Foster, but Ben Wallace's buzzer-beating dunk put Detroit ahead 76-74.

The Pacers tied the game early in the fourth, then took an 81-79 lead on Miller's finger roll with 6:12 remaining.

After a free throw by Wallace, Best hit a pair of jumpers to put Indiana up 85-80 with four minutes left.

Game notes
The Pistons honored Earl Lloyd at halftime. Lloyd, the first black player in NBA history, also coached the Pistons in the 1960s. The ceremony included tributes from Thomas, Pistons general manager Joe Dumars and Hall of Famer Dave Bing. ... The Pistons had hoped to hear from free agent Joe Smith, but had not been contacted by his agent as of tipoff. ... Foster entered the game without a point all season, but scored eight in the third quarter.


NBA Scoreboard

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Detroit Clubhouse

RECAPS
Boston 116
Washington 109

Philadelphia 107
Cleveland 98

Indiana 92
Detroit 88

Milwaukee 84
Atlanta 74

Minnesota 92
Golden State 90

New Jersey 93
Miami 91

Phoenix 99
Dallas 78

LA Clippers 78
New York 74

AUDIO/VIDEO
 Pacers GM Donnie Walsh on coach Isiah Thomas' return to Detroit.
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