Stephen Jackson scored 16 of his season-high 39 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday night as the Charlotte Bobcats pulled away for a 97-87 victory over the Detroit Pistons to complete a very successful road trip.

Charlotte (21-27) scored the first 13 points of the final period to snap a modest two-game skid and wrap up a 4-2 trip that kept it very much in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Bobcats handed the reeling Pistons their fourth consecutive loss.

Jackson triggered the decisive burst, hitting a 3-pointer to open the quarter and delivering the dagger with another shot from the arc to cap the spurt for an 81-65 cushion with 8:45 to play.

The Pistons hung around, using a 9-0 run to whittle a 16-point deficit to 90-83 on Will Bynum's jumper with 3:10 to go. But they got no closer.

Former Piston Kwame Brown contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds - his third double-double in six games - as Charlotte dominated the glass by a 46-30 margin in improving to 12-8 since Paul Silas replaced the fired Larry Brown.

Ben Gordon scored 20 points and Tayshaun Prince added 16 for Detroit, which dropped 15 games below .500 (17-32).