PORTLAND, Ore. _ The Detroit Pistons took a seven-point lead against the Portland Trail Blazers with 4:28 remaining Saturday night.
They failed to score again until 28.5 seconds were left at the Moda Center.
The Blazers (45-27) finished the game on a 14-3 run to send the Pistons to a 117-112 loss, a crucial setback in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
The Pistons (37-35) are now tied with the Brooklyn Nets (38-36) for sixth, although Nets hold the tiebreaker.
The Pistons are 1{ games in front of the eighth-place Miami Heat, and 2{ games in front of the ninth-place Orlando Magic. Eight teams make the playoffs.
The Pistons have split the first two games of the four-game trip with two games remaining against the top two Western Conference teams, Golden State and Denver.
Blake Griffin led the Pistons with 27 points and six assists, but the offense bogged down late with the Blazers focusing their defensive efforts on the All-Star forward.
Reggie Jackson scored 24 points through the first three quarters, but failed to score in the fourth, missing his only two attempts.
Damian Lillard scored 28 points, and Al-Farouq Aminu was the unsung hero with 22 points and seven rebounds.
The Blazers shot 54.4 percent in the first meeting of the season between the two teams. The Blazers visit Little Caesars Arena next Saturday.
The Blazers moved to 3-0 since star guard C.J. McCollum went down with a knee injury.
Lillard and Seth Curry combined for 29 points and the Blazers shot 54 percent from the field to take a 59-56 lead at halftime.
Before the game, Pistons coach Dwane Casey had praise for Blazers coach Terry Stotts' offensive acumen.
The two worked together under former Pistons coach Rick Carlisle with the Dallas Mavericks.
The Blazers are ranked fifth in offensive efficiency.
"There's consistency, there's continuity," Casey said. "The nuances are off the charts because these guys have played together. The run the same offense, the same play calls, everything. Terry's done a good job offensively with this group."
