( AP )- Richard Hamilton scored 24 points, Chauncey Billups had 17, and the Detroit Pistons beat the Indiana Pacers 98-92 Saturday night for their eighth straight victory.
Reserve Jason Maxiell added 12 points and Rasheed Wallace finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the Pistons (23-7) complete a home-and-home sweep.
Jermaine O'Neal had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Mike Dunleavy scored 18 points and Danny Granger chipped in 15 for Indiana (15-16), which dropped its third straight game.
This one was much closer than the Pistons' 114-101 victory Friday, when they led by 23 points at halftime.
Trailing by six points entering the fourth quarter, the Pacers got within 86-85 following Granger's 3-pointer with 5:43 left. After the teams traded baskets over the next few minutes, Detroit used a 6-0 run to open a 96-89 lead on Hamilton's 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining.
Dunleavy's 3-pointer cut the deficit to 96-92, but the Pacers couldn't get any closer.
In a first half that featured nine ties and six lead changes, the Pistons took a 44-40 advantage on Maxiell's two free throws. Indiana opened a 50-48 lead late in the second quarter, but Detroit scored the next four points and took a 52-51 edge into the break.
The Pistons began the third quarter with Antonio McDyess ' jumper and Wallace's 3-pointer to go ahead by six. Indiana answered with an 11-2 run to take a 62-59 lead.
Detroit took its biggest advantage of the third quarter, 74-67, following Rodney Stuckey's 3-pointer with 1:32 left.
Notes :@ Pacers G Jamaal Tinsley (hamstring) and C David Harrison (sore back) did not play. ... Detroit has won four straight over the Pacers and 10 of the past 15 games. ... Detroit's last loss came Dec. 12 at Houston. ... The Pistons improved to 14-2 in December. ... The Pacers' losing streak is their longest since dropping six in a row from Nov. 7-16.