HOUSTON • When the Detroit Pistons had a comfortable lead entering the fourth quarter on Saturday night, coach Dwane Casey knew the Houston Rockets would make a run late and he would need someone to step up to hold them off.
He got that boost from Derrick Rose, who came off the bench to score 10 of his 20 points in the final 12 minutes to help the visitors outlast the hosts 115-107 in the National Basketball Association.
"That's what you've got to have and that's what this league is about, it's having players who can create their own shot," Casey said.
"And he did that. He was tough down the stretch."
Luke Kennard paced his team with 22 points as the Pistons did not trail in the last two quarters and were up by double figures for most of the second half.
Houston used a 9-2 run, with a three-pointer from Chris Clemons, to cut the lead to 112-107 with 41 seconds remaining.
But Tony Snell made two free throws after that and Bruce Brown made one of two free throws after a miss by the Rockets to secure the victory and improve to 11-15 in the Eastern Conference.
James Harden had a game-high 39 points, but it was not enough to keep Houston's two-game winning streak going - on a night Russell Westbrook sat out to rest - and falling to 17-9 in the West.
"Our threes were short and James got beat up and tired," coach Mike D'Antoni said of the 2018 Most Valuable Player, who played 36 minutes in a win over the Orlando Magic on Friday night.
"He carries a big load, but there were other things that needed to happen that just didn't happen for us."
However, Harden refused to use their packed schedule as an excuse for the upset, adding: "We all know how difficult it is. You've just got to continue to fight through it. Tough one for us tonight."
Brown, who had 16 points, also took the plaudits for making things tough on his All-Star opponent as he made just 14 of 33 shots.
On the Pistons guard, Casey said: "What Bruce did to pick up full court for every minute he was in there was a man's job because you're tired.
"He's a little bit more tired because he played last night but it takes discipline and a lot of grit."
In Chicago, after blowing several late leads en route to losing games, the Bulls were able to flip the script on Saturday night.
Zach LaVine scored 31 points and converted a decisive three-point play in the hosts' 109-106 win over the short-handed and weary Los Angeles Clippers.
Chicago trailed by five points with less than two minutes to go, but, tied at 106, the Bulls (10-18) in-bounded with 5.4 seconds left.
LaVine got the ball, drove to his right and was fouled by Montrezl Harrell as he scored with just two seconds on the clock before Paul George missed from long range at the buzzer.
The Clippers (20-8) had won four in a row, but they were playing for the third time in four days and were at the end of a six-game road trip, and the fatigue was telling.
Kawhi Leonard sat out his eighth league game of the season, while Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley and JaMychal Green also missed the trip to Chicago owing to injuries.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers later admitted it was one game too many for his team, slamming the NBA for the short turnaround. "Today's game, in my opinion, should not be played," he said. "Clearly, 82 games is not healthy."
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