2 Positives, 1 negative from Indiana Pacers win over Detroit Pistons

Following a heartbreaking last-minute loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, the Pacers, fresh off a Thanksgiving rest day, welcomed the struggling Detroit Pistons to town.

This would be an interesting matchup for Indiana, as the Pistons had only won four of their prior 40 games before this matchup. However, two of those wins were against the Pacers, and these teams obviously have history. Because of this, it's always a worthwhile matchup when the Pacers and Pistons meet.

For the Pacers, this would be a good test, as their abilities would be tested following a grueling back-to-back and only one day of rest. As holders of the best offense in the league, it would be up to them to show it against Detroit.

Indiana has had a bad habit in the past of playing down to the level of inferior teams and giving them a chance. This would be the case tonight up until the fourth quarter when the Pacers sparked a 19-1 run to take over the game and ultimately win by 23 points.

At the start, Indiana looked like they'd suffer the same fate as the previous losses and let their lack of defense get the better of them, as Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey were on fire in the first three quarters.

In the final quarter, Indiana found their defensive stride and made life extremely tough for the Pistons en route to a satisfying victory that had Gainsbridge Fieldhouse on their feet.

Let's break down Friday's game and check for any patterns here.