CHICAGO -- When it mattered most, the Detroit Pistons bore down to hit key shots and defeat the Chicago Bulls 94-90 on Saturday night at the United Center.

After shooting 5 of 12 from the free-throw line in the first half, the Pistons hit 15 of 22 in the final two quarters and sank their final eight down the stretch to help seal a win that put Detroit in good position to earn a playoff spot.

"We were able to seal it," said Reggie Jackson, who led the Pistons with 22 points and hit two clutch free-throws with 20.4 seconds left to help secure the win. "We went up to the line and trusted ourselves. It was a hard-fought game. We just kept battling."

Tobias Harris also had a big night for Detroit, scoring 21 points and hitting a putback with 49.5 seconds left in the fourth to give the Pistons an 88-83 lead. Detroit (41-36), which got double-figure scoring from all five starters, secured its third win in four games against Chicago (38-38) this season.

"There were so many back and forths in that game," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said. "You look at how close the game was, I mean every single bucket was important. Everybody who played contributed to that and it was a good win."

Trailing 90-88 with less than 30 seconds left to play, the Bulls had a chance to get the ball back with a defensive stop. Jimmy Butler tried to draw a charge on Jackson's drive down the lane, but was whistled for a blocking foul.

Jackson hit both free throws to give Detroit a four-point cushion and that was enough. Butler was stung by Jackson's knee hitting him in the ribs, but finished the game. He led the Bulls and all scorers with 28 points and recorded the first triple-double of his career, finishing with career-highs in rebounds (17) and assists (12).

It just wasn't enough, and now Chicago will play Sunday in Milwaukee to complete its 17th and final back-to-back set of games.

"I just felt like I could have done more," Butler said. "I could have made some more shots or played better defense. There's always room for improvement. All I want to do is win. I didn't do my job. We, as a whole, didn't do our job. It's a new day [Sunday] and we have to have that one."

The Pistons stayed a half-game ahead of the Indiana Pacers (40-36), who defeated the Philadelphia 76ers to keep their hold of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Chicago, which played without starters Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson, trails Indiana by two games and the Pistons by 2 1/2 games.

"You like being ahead, but until we're in, no, I'm not the least bit comfortable," Van Gundy said. "The way this season has gone, it's up and down. And look who we have to play now."

Detroit has six games left, including two games against the Miami Heat and one against the Cleveland Cavaliers, both playoff-bound teams.

The Pistons also got double-figure scoring from Marcus Morris (16 points), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (13 points) and Andre Drummond, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds despite sitting on the bench down the stretch in the fourth because of his 1 for 10 performance from the free-throw line.

Pau Gasol had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls, who got 14 points off the bench from Aaron Brooks.

"We are well aware of our situation," Gasol said. "The math [for playoff qualification] is probably against us at this point, but we also have the mentality to continue to compete and fight, and give ourselves a chance."

The game was tightly-contested from start to finish. Neither team held a double-digit lead, there were 15 lead changes and the game was tied 13 times.

It was no different than two previous games between the Central Division rivals, which the Pistons won in overtime, including a four-OT thriller on Dec. 18 in Chicago.

"There were a lot of guys on both sides who knew how important the game was and wanted to win it, and [we] just hung in there and kept fighting," Van Gundy said. "Not much separated our two teams this year. We ended up with three wins, but a four overtime [game], an overtime [game] and tonight not much separated us."

NOTES: Bulls PG Derrick Rose (left elbow) didn't play after missing the second half of Chicago's 103-100 win at the Houston Rockets on Thursday. Rose injured the elbow in a fall against the Atlanta Hawks on March 28 and further agitated it during the Bulls' 98-96 win at the Indiana Pacers the next day. He played the first half against Houston using only his right arm. "Every day it's getting better," Rose said. "I'm able to push off a little bit more, but as far as right now it's still real tender." Rose has missed 12 games this season with six different injuries. "Reality is I've got to deal with my injury," Rose said. "I fell on the floor. I'm going to fall here and there, going to have injuries. [I've] just got to try to get through that and get back on the floor." ... Chicago PF Taj Gibson (rib contusion) was reassessed prior to the game against the Pistons, but didn't play. Gibson missed his second straight game. His spot was filled by rookie F Bobby Portis, who made his second start.