VIDEO RECAP: Indiana Pacers topple Detroit Pistons to open season 1-0

The Pacers are undefeated

Oct 23, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) shoots on Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) in the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

DETROIT — The Indiana Pacers kicked off their 2024-25 campaign on Wednesday night with a battle against the Pistons in Detroit. It wasn't pretty, and the Pacers struggled for much of the first 30 or so minutes of play. But they found enough stretches of success to give themselves a chance late, and they slammed the door shut with a strong finish.

"Very physical, very emotional and typical opening night game. Very difficult," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "[We were] down by nine at half time. They had momentum, and then we were able to throw a 19-point defensive quarter at them. At one point we got six or seven stops in a row, and that really keyed our momentum change."

The Pacers defense came alive in the final quarter. They were more physical on the glass and in general were more effective forcing the Pistons to react to the way they were playing. Detroit missed some good looks, but Indiana was able to punish them in a way that they weren't earlier in the game.

The hosts scored just 19 points in that fourth quarter, and young guard Bennedict Mathurin took over offensively for the Pacers to pull his team to a win. Mathurin scored 14 of his 19 points in the final quarter.

Myles Turner shined early in the second half while Pascal Siakam was quietly dominant all night. Despite a slow start and clunkier play on offense, the Pacers did enough to win. They're 1-0 and battle the New York Knicks on Friday.

More on the game can be found in the video below.

"Good teams figure out a way to win. The rest of the things don’t matter. I think we just had to find a way to win, and we were able to do that," Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton said after the outing.

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