Indianapolis ? Reggie Miller still is pushing opponents around.

With a sellout crowd chanting his name, the 39-year-old delivered another clutch playoff moment Friday night. He drew two fouls, made four free throws and hit a key jumper in the final 81 seconds to rally Indiana past Detroit, 79-74, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Pacers now lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday at Indianapolis.

It was an atypical night for Miller until the end.

He shot just 3-of-11 from the field, including a dismal 0-for-7 from three-point range, and even missed a free throw in the fourth quarter. But when the Pacers needed him most, the five-time All-Star, who is retiring after the season, looked like anything but a fading star.

With the Pacers trailing 72-71 and commissioner David Stern watching from near midcourt, Miller drew the sixth foul on Richard Hamilton with 1:21 left and sank two free throws to wipe out Detroit’s 72-71 lead. On the Pacers’ next possession, Miller drew a foul on Lindsey Hunter, then hit two more free throws to make it 75-72.

And when Detroit needed a stop to have a chance at a potentially tying three-pointer, Hunter fell down — or perhaps was pushed — and Miller hit a 21-foot jumper to make it 79-74.

“Lindsey (Hunter), who is an unbelievable defender, was crowding me, so I tried to use my body against him and tried to create some space, which I did,” Miller said of his shot that sealed the victory.

Miller led the Pacers with 17 points, Jamaal Tinsley added 16, and Jeff Foster had 12 rebounds.

Reggie Miller celebrates after making a late fourth-quarter shot. Miller scored a team-high 17 points in the Pacers' 79-74 victory Friday in Indianapolis.

Detroit, the defending NBA champion, was upset with the calls and the non-calls.

“It was an unbelievable shot he hit,” coach Larry Brown said. “But how could he get so open? … It’s a shame that in the final situation they leave it up to other people to decide the game.”

Brown seemed to infer that Miller was using his trademark push-off to draw fouls and get free, and Hunter declined to comment for fear of a fine.

Miller conceded there was pushing and shoving by both teams, but acknowledged it was part of the tiresome complaints he heard every year come playoff time.

“It’s common,” Miller said. “It’s always something I’m doing.”

Detroit, which was led by Chauncey Billups with 23 points, didn’t challenge until late. The Pacers neutralized defensive player of the year Ben Wallace inside and took advantage of Richard Hamilton’s sore right calf to beat the Pistons for the second straight time.

Perhaps most important for the Pacers was that they actually won in their own building, where they had lost four of their last five postseason games — including two straight to Detroit in last year’s Eastern Conference finals.

After spending more than a week on the road with trips to Boston and Detroit, the Pacers shot 36.1 percent from the field. Detroit had just a 42-40 rebounding advantage and Wallace, who controlled Game 1, finished with seven points and 14 rebounds.

The victory changed the dynamic of a series in which the road team had won five of the previous six meetings this season — something the Pistons intend to change Sunday.

“We’re definitely going back to Detroit with this thing 2-2, no question about it,” said Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace, who missed two key three-pointers in the last minute.

Brown used only seven players, and Hamilton, Detroit’s leading scorer, had a miserable start. He was 1-of-7 from the field with three turnovers in the first quarter and finished with 16 points before fouling out with 1:21 left.

Although the Pistons trailed by double digits for most of the second and third quarters, Detroit’s late push was nearly enough to win it.

Indiana led 58-45 entering the fourth quarter, but the Pistons quickly cut the margin to 10. After the Pacers rebuilt a 67-55 lead, Detroit got back-to-back three-point plays from Hamilton and Billups, then used a 9-2 run to take a 72-71 lead on Billups’ free throws with 2:09 left.

Then it was Miller time.