Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Darren Collison had 20 points and Indiana pulled out a 111-101 win over the Detroit Pistons at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Danny Granger chipped in 17 points while Josh McRoberts had 15 points and 13 rebounds to help the Pacers improve to 2-0 on a current three-game homestand.
Indiana remained in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference -- a game ahead of Charlotte and three in front of Milwaukee. Both teams also won on Wednesday.
Mike Dunleavy, who missed the previous 19 games with a broken thumb, returned to post nine points in 19 minutes in the win.
"It was good to be back on the floor and be competing," Dunleavy said. "It was a good win for us. We must play every game as if it is the last one."
Rodney Stuckey filled the ledger with 24 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and Richard Hamilton pitched in 19 points for the Pistons, who are likely headed for their second straight season without a playoff appearance. Detroit beat Indiana, 100-88, on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak.
Detroit came out hot, shooting 64.7 percent from the felid in the first quarter to take a 27-24 lead. However, it took just three minutes into the second for the Pacers to claim a 34-33 edge on McRoberts' putback slam.
The Pacers scored the next seven points to make it an eight-point game and they pushed it to a double-digit margin the final five minutes of the half. Collison's pull-up jumper with five seconds left made up the 59-47 halftime lead in favor of the home team.
"They really came out and fed off their fans in the second quarter," Hamilton said. "And we kind of turned the ball over in the first three possessions of the second half and that really hurt us."
The edge was ballooned to 20-plus points in the third quarter to give Indiana control of the game. A 15-4 run opened the quarter giving the Pacers a 74-51 lead just over eight minutes left, and they took a 91-70 lead heading into the final frame.
Indiana put it on cruise control the final 12 minutes as Detroit never got closer than eight.
Game Notes
The Pacers improve to 21-16 at home this season...The teams split the season series, while the Pistons are winless in Indianapolis in the last six contests...Detroit forwards Tayshaun Prince and Greg Monroe each had 14 points. Monroe also had nine boards, while Chris Wilcox added 10 points and seven rebounds in the loss.