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.

Positive: Improved defense fuels win

As recently as the last game against Toronto, defense has been the main issue by far for the Pacers this year, as they have the worst defense in the league, which has cost them many winnable games and also made some games much closer than they otherwise would have been.

While Friday started off looking like the same story, as the Pistons were shooting 44% from beyond the arc and leading the Pacers by two points going into halftime, it would not end like that.

Following a third quarter where they allowed the Pistons to shoot 56% from the field and 60% from three, the Pacers decided to ramp up their defense at the best possible time and make Detroit work for every basket.

Despite shooting great in the first three quarters, the Pistons were held to a mere 35% from the field and made a total of zero three-pointers in the fourth quarter. This was mainly due to the contributions of a few players.

First, Andrew Nembhard made his return to the rotation after missing three games due to back spasms. Despite being out for some time, Nembhard played like he hadn't missed a beat and made some fantastic defensive plays down the stretch.

Myles Turner was also fantastic all game, especially in the fourth, where he blocked two shots and grabbed seven rebounds, showcasing his elite rim protection during a time the Pacers really needed it.

However, the best defensive performance of the night came from Bruce Brown, who had two key steals and some transition points off those steals in the final minutes. Brown's tenacious defense, along with Nembhard's hustle and Turner's rim protection, led Indiana to hold Detroit to only 17 points in the fourth quarter as they gradually lost control of the game.

While this is only one game, Nembhard has shown how much the Pacers' defense missed him, as he provided some fantastic play down the stretch when it was most needed. Out of all the games Indiana has played, the fourth quarter against Detroit was by far the best they looked on defense all year, and with the Nembhard/Mathurin/Brown/Turner lineup came promise.

Indiana clearly has good defenders on the team, and this game showed that. Perhaps they need to run lineups with these guys on the floor more often to unlock that defensive potential that they clearly possess. Hopefully, this game serves as a building block toward a better overall defense, and Rick Carlisle eventually finds something that works.

Negative: Letting them get close

This has been a recurring theme for Indiana's games against inferior teams. One of the main problems with the Pacers is that they do not seem to know their own strength.

On certain occasions, they will convincingly beat a top contender, and on other nights, they will be in dogfights with basement dwellers. The latter was the case on Friday for at least three quarters. After a promising first quarter, where they led by seven by the end, the Pacers would let up a bit in the second, giving up 37 points compared to their own 28, giving Detroit a two-point lead at the half.

The third quarter would bring more of this unnecessary back-and-forth, as the Pacers still couldn't seem to gain a clear advantage despite being the better team. They would go into the fourth quarter clutching onto a one-point lead.

Thankfully, the fourth quarter was when the Pacers realized who exactly they were facing and took over the game, but the point still stands. Indiana needs to make life easier on themselves and come out of the gates strong against these inferior teams.

A similar occurrence happened during the Utah Jazz game in early November, in which they kept the game needlessly close until the eventual fourth-quarter eruption.

As they are currently poised for a playoff run, the Pacers need to learn to avoid needlessly competitive games. The best offensive team in the league should not be in dogfights with basement dwellers, but instead, Indiana sometimes plays like they do not know what they are capable of, and make games closer than they probably should be.

Positive: Fourth-quarter barrage seals the deal

This was fun. Following the competitive third quarter I mentioned earlier, the Pacers were holding onto a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter, with Tyrese Haliburton starting the quarter on the bench.

This would not phase Indiana, who would momentarily gather themselves before demolishing the poor Pistons in the fourth quarter, outscoring them 39-17 en route to a 23-point victory, tied for their biggest win of the season.

Detroit started the fourth off competitively, with the score tied at 106 with 8:29 left in the game. That was when Indiana's takeover began, as they quickly sparked off a 16-6 run in the next 5:30 with Tyrese Haliburton on the bench.

Following Haliburton's entrance, Indiana would ramp up the onslaught, finishing the game with a 13-1 run in the final three minutes as the crowd noise in Gainsbridge Fieldhouse kept increasing, and the players looked like they were having the time of their lives.

Despite probably keeping the game closer than it needed to be during the first three quarters and leaving fans praying for an outcome different from what happened against Toronto, the Pacers came through to snatch the game away from the Pistons and finish In-Season Tournament group play undefeated.

As a result of this win, the Pacers will have homecourt advantage for an In-Season Tournament quarterfinal game and improve their odds of playing for the big prize in Las Vegas and earning the first In-Season Tournament trophy in league history. Hopes are high in Indiana now, as the Pacers have an extra two days of rest before hosting another bottomfeeding team in the Portland Trail Blazers.