When a team plays nearly the entire second half in survival mode, it does not typically end with that team surviving. The Pistons, somehow, lived to see the end of a hard-fought game, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 119-112.
The Pistons led by as many as 18 with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter, but spent every second after that slowly bleeding away that margin. It eventually became a one-possession game with 2:24 remaining.
The Blazers had several opportunities to tie the game but could never get a shot to go down. Sometimes, it is better to be lucky than to be good.