Pistons edge Pacers
Detroit beat Indiana 131–121 in a high-scoring game that featured Obi Toppin knocking down five three-pointers. The final score underscores an offensive outburst from the Pistons while the Pacers kept the game competitive. Box-score details highlight Toppin’s shooting as a decisive factor in Detroit’s win. (x.com) (x.com)
Detroit closed the regular season Sunday by beating Indiana 133-121 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, giving the Pistons 60 wins and a third straight victory. (espn.com) Paul Reed led Detroit with 26 points on 11-for-11 shooting, and Tobias Harris added 24 points in 22 minutes. Cade Cunningham finished with 14 assists, while the Pistons scored 41 points in the first quarter and 40 more in the second. (espn.com) (nba.com) Indiana stayed close behind Obi Toppin, who scored 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting and hit five three-pointers. Quenton Jackson added 14 assists for the Pacers, but Indiana trailed by as many as 21 points after falling behind 81-63 at halftime. (espn.com) (nba.com) The game landed on the final day of the 2025-26 regular season, two days before the SoFi Play-In Tournament opens on April 14 and six days before the playoffs start on April 18. Detroit finished atop the Central Division at 60-22, while Indiana ended 19-63. (nba.com) (espn.com) Detroit’s finish capped one of the league’s sharpest turnarounds. In November, the Pistons tied a franchise record with a 13-game winning streak after breaking the National Basketball Association single-season losing streak mark two years earlier with 28 straight defeats. (clickondetroit.com) (sports.yahoo.com) Indiana’s season moved the other way. The Pacers went 50-32 in 2024-25 and dropped to 19-63 this season, according to ESPN’s team records page. (espn.com) Sunday’s box score showed how lopsided the scoring efficiency was: Detroit shot 57.1 percent from the field and got 50 combined points from Reed and Harris, while Indiana leaned on Toppin’s outside shooting to keep the margin from getting out of hand. (nba.com) (espn.com) The Pistons now head into the postseason off a 60-win campaign, and the Pacers head into the offseason after another loss in a year that ended far below last season’s pace. (nba.com) (espn.com)
