AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Reggie Jackson and the Detroit Pistons got a little confidence boost heading into the All-Star break.

Jackson scored 22 points, and the Pistons never trailed in a 98-91 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night at The Palace.

Detroit's starting point guard didn't reach the 20-point mark the previous nine games. For Jackson, it was simply a matter of reading the defense.

"They were in coverages where they didn't want to come off our wings and they didn't want to leave Andre (Drummond)," he said. "I was the recipient of the coverage they played tonight."

The Pistons (27-30) notched their sixth victory in the last nine games, a sign that they may be on the upswing.

"I told the guys at the end of the (postgame) meeting, 'Everybody be safe but we've got to come back with a playoff mindset,'" forward Marcus Morris said.

Pistons forward Jon Leuer had 20 points and eight rebounds, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope supplied 16 points.

Tobias Harris scored 13 points off the bench, Ish Smith added 10, and Morris tossed in six while tying his career-high with 14 rebounds for Detroit. The Pistons outrebounded the Mavericks 57-38 as Drummond and Aron Baynes snared 11 apiece.

"They're playing small," Deroit coach Stan Van Gundy said of Dallas. "We should outrebound them and we did. Marcus really did a good job on the boards."

The Pistons (27-30) completed a two-game sweep of the season series for the first time since 1997-98. Detroit won on Dallas' home floor 95-85 on Dec. 14.

Detroit led by 27 at halftime and held off Dallas despite a lethargic second half.

"It's a game of runs but at the same time, we put ourselves in that position," Harris said. "The biggest thing was to keep fighting back and never let them get too confident."

Dirk Nowitzki racked up 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks (22-34). The veteran forward is averaging 20.2 points over the last five games.

Harrison Barnes recorded 16 points, Seth Curry added 13 and Deron Williams chipped in 12.

Center Andrew Bogut, who missed the previous eight games with a hamstring injury, added four points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes.

"We played a horrible first half," Bogut said. "Everybody, one through 15. We battled in the second half. If we play the first half like the second half, we win the game."

The Pistons scored 15 of the first 17 points. They also started the second quarter strong with a 19-6 run to make it 46-23. Harris had seven points during that span, and Leuer contributed six.

Detroit continued to pour it on. When Jackson made a steal and dunked, the Pistons were up 56-30.

Baynes' hook shot in the final minute of the half increased the lead to 62-35.

Dallas began to climb back by opening the second half on a 12-1 run. Nowitzki scored 13 points in the quarter, including 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to close the gap to 70-57.

"It was vintage and we needed it because it energized us even more," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said of Nowitzki's eruption. "It's clear he's feeling better and better."

The comeback temporarily stalled when Nowitzki was rested, and the Pistons carried a 78-63 lead into the fourth.

Yogi Ferrell's 3-pointer with 8:23 left cut Detroit's lead to 82-73. Dallas got it down to eight on four occasions but couldn't get any closer until the final minute.

"I'm not going to sit up here and say a lot of negative stuff and I'm not going to make excuses," Van Gundy said. "It was a bad half."

NOTES: Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle says he is thrilled with SF Harrison Barnes' progression as the team's franchise player. Barnes, signed to a four-year, max contract as a free agent last summer, is averaging 20 points and five rebounds. "He's worked extremely hard and gotten better every week," Carlisle said. "His work ethic is second to none of anybody I've ever been around in this league. He's only 24 and he's going to keep getting better." ... PF Henry Ellenson and SG Michael Gbinije were healthy scratches for the Pistons. ... Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said he will be thinking of changes during the All-Star break. "I'll spend the break trying to look at our team and some things we think we can do better," he said. ... Dallas won its previous five games at The Palace. ... The Pistons allow the fewest second-chance points in the league (10.1 per game). The Mavericks are third in that category (11.2).