HOUSTON -- Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy deemed his decision to ride with a crew of reserves down the stretch of the fourth quarter on Friday night a reward for their enthusiasm.

In the end, that decision paid surprising dividends.

Stanley Johnson drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer with 32.4 seconds left as Detroit rallied past the Houston Rockets 114-109 at Toyota Center.

The Pistons (36-43) reside three games behind the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with three games remaining.

Johnson, a second-year forward, shared the court with rookie forward Henry Ellenson, second-year center Boban Marjanovic, third-year forward Reggie Bullock, and vagabond guard Ish Smith. Yet Detroit scored 39 points in the fourth.

"I think we just played super hard," said Johnson, who scored 10 of his 13 points in the fourth. "We're really, really hungry and seeing the position this team is in right now with Stan being willing to play some of us more, we're just trying to play hard and show everybody that we can play as well."

Marjanovic scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Ellenson posted a double-double of 15 points and 11 boards. Smith paced the starters with 20 points while Tobias Harris added 17 off the bench for Detroit.

James Harden led Houston with 33 points and 12 assists, and his 3-pointer with 2:26 left gave the Rockets (53-26) a 105-101 lead. But Harden, who hoisted a career-high 19 3-pointers, missed four late 3s as Detroit closed with a 13-4 run.

"We've got to do a better job of closing games out," Harden said. "It's that simple."

The Rockets received double-digit scoring efforts off the bench from guards Lou Williams (15) and Eric Gordon (13), and center Montrezl Harrell (13). But Houston coughed up a 12-point lead entering the fourth quarter playing with little verve.

"We've got ... three more games left," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "And they don't mean anything obviously. We know that but you don't mess -- you got to play the right way and when you do play we have to play better than what we did."

The Pistons' first rally from a 12-point deficit came courtesy of Marjanovic, whose 17 first-half points eclipsed his previous single-game season high of 15. Matched up against the undersized Harrell, Marjanovic had his way in the post in the second. The Rockets went cold as Marjanovic caught fire, and after shooting 7 of 14 from deep in the first quarter, Houston missed 10 of 12 3s in the second.

Harden found a rhythm in third quarter and helped the Rockets re-establish their double-digit lead. With Houston leading 63-61, Harden buried a corner 3 and followed with another 3 from the top of the key. He added a driving layup and his fourth 3 of the third before eluding Marjanovic with a Eurostep for an 87-75 lead.

But with nothing for which to play, the Rockets delivered an effort representing their investment. Once the youthful Pistons got going, there was no stemming the tide.

"It was great and we had a bunch of guys out there who really wanted to play," Van Gundy said. "They weren't bogged down by the way the season had gone. They had great enthusiasm.

"I don't care when it is in the year of what the situation is, that's a big part of this to just have a great enthusiasm to play, and those guys really did."

NOTES: Houston coach Mike D'Antoni began the process of resting his regulars in preparation for the postseason, designating Rockets C Clint Capela a healthy scratch. D'Antoni plans to rest G Eric Gordon in one of the upcoming back-to-back road games against the Kings and Clippers on Sunday and Monday. ... Pistons rookie F Henry Ellenson made his first career start, posting 15 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes. Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy wants to get an extended look at Ellenson, who had played in just 15 games before Friday night. ... Rockets F Ryan Anderson (right ankle) returned from a six-game injury hiatus and logged 13 minutes, all in the first half, and finished with nine points and three rebounds.