Pistons, on brink of elimination, visit Rockets (Apr 07, 2017)

HOUSTON -- By the slimmest of margins, the Detroit Pistons remain in playoff contention, but nothing about their play over the past four weeks suggests they have any sincere interest in extending their season.

By blowing a 20-point lead at home in their 105-102 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, the Pistons (35-43) essentially sealed their postseason fate.

Detroit remains alive, but with the Chicago Bulls (39-40), Indiana Pacers (39-40) and Miami Heat (38-40) better positioned to claim the final two playoffs spots in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons might be better served focusing on getting past the Charlotte Hornets (36-43) for 10th place at this late stage of the race.

Following their 20-point victory over the New York Knicks on March 11, the Pistons were 33-33 with seven wins in 10 games. They have dropped 10 of 12 since and need something miraculous to unfold to qualify for the playoffs for a second consecutive season. The stretch run starts Friday against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.

"These last four (games), we have to win every one of them," Pistons center Andre Drummond said. "We have to go 4-0 in this next week and a half. It's definitely doable, but it is whether we all want to do it as a collective group.

"I believe in our team and I know we all have one common goal. We just got to keep the ball rolling."

With three of those games on the road and three against postseason qualifiers (the Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards), a four-game win streak seems implausible.

Detroit has been without guard Reggie Jackson (knee) since March 27 and posted a minus-9.6 net rating over its last dozen games, the third-worst mark in the NBA during that stretch. The Atlanta Hawks are the only NBA with a worse offensive rating than the Pistons' 96.9 since March 14.

The Rockets (53-25), meanwhile, clinched the third seed in the Western Conference with their 110-104 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. If Houston wins its final four games, it would match the 1996-97 squad for the second-most victories in franchise history. That Rockets team lost to the Utah Jazz in the conference finals.

With their postseason seeding set and their likely first-round opponent, the Oklahoma City Thunder, almost locked in, the Rockets have initiated preparations for an extended playoff run.

They hope to have forward Ryan Anderson back from a right ankle sprain that has cost him six games, and coach Mike D'Antoni noted his desire to lock in roles over the final week of the regular season. That longing facilitated his move of guard Eric Gordon back to the bench against the Nuggets.

Houston will face one playoff team down the stretch, taking on the Clippers in Los Angeles on April 10. The Rockets aim to gain something from competition.

"I think that every game that we play is preparing us for the postseason," Rockets forward Trevor Ariza said. "So, every game is a different look. There are things that we do have to tighten up and clean up. And if we focus on the things that we need to do going into the playoffs, I think we'll be all right."