Lopez’s jumper at buzzer lifts Nets

NEW YORK >> Brook Lopez made a jumper as time expired to give the Brooklyn Nets a 98-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.

The Pistons, fighting for a playoff spot, wiped out a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to tie it at 96 on Tobias Harris’ follow shot with 2.4 seconds left.

Lopez then took the inbounds pass moving left, dribbled toward the baseline and shot the jumper as it appeared he might lose control of the ball, making the shot to cap a 29-point night.

Harris had 24 points for the Pistons, who dropped a game back of Miami for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finished with 19. Andre Drummond had 13 points and 17 rebounds, but he left midway through the fourth quarter after appearing to injure his knee.

After allowing 31 points in the first quarter, the Nets limited the Pistons to 34 over the next two, opening a 74-65 lead. Brooklyn got the first basket of the fourth to take its first double-digit lead and led by eight with 4 ½ minutes remaining before Detroit tied it with a 13-5 spurt.

Ish Smith was the catalyst, scoring 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as struggling starter Reggie Jackson watched from the bench. But the Pistons couldn’t complete the comeback and lost for the fourth time in five games.

The Nets, playing without starting point guard Jeremy Lin because of a sprained right ankle, snapped a two-game losing streak. TIP-INS Nets: Spencer Dinwiddie started for Lin and finished with 10 points and eight assists. The Nets improved to 2-16 with him in the starting lineup.