One indication of the early ugliness: The Pistons had 10 turnovers and nine points in second quarter.

The Pacers had spent Monday working on their offense at practice, though it was hard to find anything that had been improved. They had a woeful lack of movement on offense, and they began the game hoisting and missing long jumpers.

A jumper by Rasheed Wallace gave Detroit its first double-digit lead, 21-10, and Wallace took advantage of a missed defensive assignment with an emphatic dunk off an entry pass from Mike James for a 25-12 lead.

But coach Larry Brown soon rested his starters, and Detroit missed its first seven shots and committed five turnovers in the first seven minutes of the second quarter. A foul shot by Billups ended a nearly eight-minute scoring drought in which the Pacers climbed back within a point thanks to a 12-0 run.

The Pistons led 36-30 at halftime after being outscored 16-9 in the second quarter, but they quickly reopened a comfortable lead in the third quarter.

Rasheed Wallace converted a 3-footer with his left hand, then came outside for a 19-footer that gave Detroit a 49-37 lead.