Hill, Pistons Surge By Pacers

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 7, 1999 / 4:49 PM EST / CBS Sportsline

The surprising Detroit Pistons have won their first two games, and both times their bench was the key.

Reserves Jerry Stackhouse had 20 points, Jerome Williams had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Eric Montross grabbed 14 rebounds as the Pistons rallied for a 107-98 victory over the Indiana Pacers Sunday. Grant Hill led Detroit with 26 points.

In their 95-81 victory at Miami Friday night, Stackhouse had a game-high 24 points, while Montross didn't even play.

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"There are certain teams that are very athletic, and we can't use him against them," Pistons coach Alvin Gentry said. "But against big guys like Rik Smits, he can help us."

Montross also scored six points, all in the first half. Williams scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter against the Pacers.

"In a season like this, you are going to have to be able to have guys come off the bench like we had today," Gentry said. "I thought Jerome Williams' play turned the game around for us."

A basket by Antonio Davis -- one of three Pacers with 12 points -- pulled Indiana into an 86-86 tie with 6:56 left.

But Williams, whose energetic play makes him a fan favorite at The Palace, scored six points in a 7-0 burst that gave Detroit a 93-86 lead with 4:49 remaining. Williams made two free throws, then a driving layup, giving Detroit a 90-86 lead with 5:32 remaining. After Hill made one of two free throws, Williams scored on a rebound, putting the Pistons safely ahead.

"In pivotal plays, they came up with big second shots," said Reggie Miller, who scored 26 points for Indiana. "They've got some key players coming off the bench now. Jerome Williams looks very underestimated. He gave them a lot of energy with his play today."

"That's going to be a big lift for them this season."

Two free throws by Miller closd the gap to 95-91 with 4:42 left, but that's as close as the Pacers got.

"We're just going to have to buckle down," Miller said. "We have no superstars on this team. For us to win, we have to play as a well-oiled machine. Today, not everybody played as well as they can."

Play got ragged late in the third quarter when neither team made a field goal after Hill's short jumper gave Detroit a 72-71 lead with 4:40 left. A steady diet of free throws enabled the Pistons to take an 80-76 lead into the fourth quarter.

"We're going to need a lot of contributions from our bench this year, and so far, we've been getting them," Hill said. "We don't ever want to have to play 40 minutes a night. Not with this schedule. As long as guys like Stack, Montross, Jerome and Jud (Buechler) keep playing like this, we might not ever have to."

Attendance was announced as 18,877, but The Palace, which holds 21,454 for basketball, wasn't nearly full and those who showed up weren't especially loud. The arena's upper bowl, which holds 10,000, appeared about half empty. Snow was falling in the area, which may have kept some people home.

But those who attended were made to feel welcome. Williams, the Pistons' player representative, took the microphone at midcourt for about two minutes just after the National Anthem and thanked the fans for attending.

Considering the long layoff caused by the lockout, the game was fairly typical NBA fare. The Pacers started with three consecutive 3-pointers for a 9-0 lead. But the Pistons, behind the play of Stackhouse and Montross, battled back to lead by as many as nine in the second quarter.

Fred Hoiberg's desperation heave from beyond midcourt swished at the buzzer, pulling Indiana into a 54-54 tie at halftime.

Notes

Detroit's Joe Dumars , who scored 12 points, needs one more to reach 16,000. Sixty players have achieved the milestone.
The game began Detroit's 11th season in The Palace. The Pistons are 7-4 in their openers in the building.