Their top three scorers were unavailable, leaving the Clippers short on firepower and bodies in general.
With a six-game winning streak heading into Wednesday night’s game in Detroit, it was up to those left in the group to pull the Clippers through.
Down 11 points in the fourth and then eight later in the quarter, the Clippers refused to give in to their circumstances, rallying with defense that eventually turned into a jumper by Reggie Jackson with 2.3 seconds left to send them to a 100-98 win over the Pistons.
The Clippers trailed 98-91 with 46.