Indianapolis ? Playing at home has hardly been an advantage for the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs.

To change that, the Pacers need to be every bit as physical, energetic and aggressive tonight in Game 3 against the Pistons as they were Wednesday night in Detroit, when Indiana evened the series with a 92-83 victory.

“If you can’t play consistently well at home in the playoffs, you’ll have a hard time winning,” coach Rick Carlisle said Thursday. “One of our major concerns is that we have not played very well at home in the playoffs.”

Carlisle has the evidence he needs to get Indiana’s attention.

The Pacers lost two of three home games to Boston in the first round and blew home-court advantage in last year’s Eastern Conference finals against the eventual NBA champion Pistons. In Game 6 against Boston, they shot a miserable 26.9 percent from the field — an NBA franchise-low for a playoff game.

More proof? Last week, after losing Game 6 — a game that could have been Reggie Miller’s last in Indianapolis — Miller suggested the Pacers were better on the road than at home.

Carlisle endorsed that theory Thursday.

“I think if you look at the circumstances, we’ve come back after big road wins and not played well or we’ve played carelessly,” Carlisle said. “That’s something you can’t do, especially in the second round against the defending champs.”