DETROIT _ The Detroit Pistons faced a trade-ravaged Dallas Mavericks team Thursday night.
The Mavericks also were missing star rookie Luka Doncic with a sore left ankle.
The Pistons still needed a late comeback to avoid an embarrassing loss.
Andre Drummond's putback with 1:59 remaining and Reggie Jackson's layup the next possession propelled the Pistons to a 93-89 victory at Little Caesars Arena.
On the night he learned he would not be traveling to Charlotte for the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 17, Drummond scored 24 points and grabbed 20 rebounds _ his eighth 20-20 game of the year.
His two free throws capped off the night.
Blake Griffin, who was named an All-Star reserve, struggled with 24 points on 8-for-26 shooting.
Reggie Jackson played a nice floor game with 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
The Pistons (22-28) are two games behind the Charlotte Hornets for the Eastern Conference's eighth and final playoff spot.
The Mavericks traded starters Dennis Smith Jr., Wesley Matthews and DeAndre Jordan to the New York Knicks for big man Kristaps Porzingis hours before the game, leaving their team depleted.
But led by Harrison Barnes (27 points), the Mavericks put up a fight.
Pistons coach Dwane Casey was concerned before the game.
"That's the history of what happens in an in-season trade like that," Casey said of facing a hard-playing team. "Guys are finally getting the opportunity to get a chance to play and come out guns blazing. They know they're not coming out of the game."
Pistons owner Tom Gores was seated courtside and he gifted a fan and a guest a trip to Charlotte for the All-Star Game.
Gores tossed T-shirts and toy basketballs with a voucher for the giveaway.
The loudest applause of the evening was reserved for Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki.
He was greeted with loud cheers when he entered the game at the 1:19 mark of the first quarter. And the certain first-ballot Hall of Famer gave the crowd something the cheer about.
He contributed five points in a 30-11 run in the first half.
Fans cheered after his two baskets _ a jumper and a 3-pointer.
He finished with seven points on 3-for-9 shooting in 13 minutes.
After one game experimenting with Bruce Brown as the backup point guard, Casey went back to veteran Jose Calderon.
His struggles continued.
In only eight minutes in the first half, he was minus-10, anchoring a bad second unit performance.
Casey is saddled with an underperforming roster with untradeable contracts.
But his insistence on playing an aging Calderon, 37, is baffling.
A career 40-percent 3-point shooter, Calderon is shooting 26 percent this season.
He has lost quickness and is a defensive liability.
He did hit a 3-pointer in the second half, playing 12 minutes total.
