Brandon Knight scored 20 points Sunday night to help the Pistons snap an 18-game losing streak against the Bulls with a 99-85 victory. The loss dropped Chicago two games behind Brooklyn in the race for the fourth seed and a chance to host a first-round series in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Jonas Jerebko added 17 points and a season-high nine rebounds for the Pistons, who also ended an eight-game home skid.

The Bulls led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter but Detroit gradually caught up and took the lead in the second after starting the period on a 12-4 run.

“From that point on, we started to get stops and get out in transition,” coach Lawrence Frank said. “We made a lot of winning-type plays and played with a lot of intensity.”

The Pistons took a 50-46 lead to intermission and pushed it to as many as 10 in the third quarter. Knight scored a dozen points in the period, including a 3-pointer that killed Chicago’s last good chance at getting close. Detroit scored the first four points of the fourth and never let the Bulls get closer than 10 points the rest of the night.

“It felt good,” said Knight, who’d seen the Pistons drop the first three games of the series against Chicago by a combined eight points.

“We were the team to not make mistakes and capitalized on their mistakes.”

Jerebko and Charlie Villanueva (12 points) sparked a bench that outscored Chicago’s 33-12.

Rodney Stuckey, starting in place of injured point guard Jose Calderon, had 14 points and rookie Andre Drummond, who shot airballs on two late free throws in a one-point loss at Chicago on March 31, added 10 rebounds for Detroit.

Carlos Boozer had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who played without leading scorer Luol Deng. Coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t feeling sorry for his team, which has been missing former league MVP Derrick Rose all season.

“You can’t use that as an excuse,” he said. “Whoever is out there, we have to go out and get the job done.”

Nate Robinson added 18 points and Jimmy Butler scored 14 as Chicago’s two-game winning streak ended. Two of the Bulls’ last six games are against playoff-bound teams, the same number Brooklyn faces.

The teams will not see each other before the postseason.

Deng, the Bulls’ leading scorer and the NBA’s leader in minutes per game, missed the game with a sore hip. Thibodeau said the decision to bench him was “precautionary.”

Chicago’s Joakim Noah, who missed eight games with an injured right foot, and Marco Belinelli, who was out seven with an abdominal strain, each returned Sunday night. Noah finished with 13 points and seven boards.

The Bulls were aiming to match the franchise record for consecutive victories over an opponent, which also was against the Pistons. Michael Jordan’s 1990s teams won 19 in a row against Detroit.

The Pistons treated home fans to their first win since the All-Star break. They hadn’t won at the Palace of Auburn Hills since Feb. 13.

Game notes

Calderon, who had started all 28 games since Detroit acquired him in a Jan. 30 trade, missed the game with a right triceps strain. … Chicago’s last loss to the Pistons was Dec. 23, 2008. … The Bulls used their 13th different starting lineup.

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Detroit At Chicago
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 31, 2013
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Detroit, WGN (Chicago)
PREDICTION: Bulls 95, Pistons 88

Oddsmakers currently have the Bulls listed as 9-point favorites versus the Pistons, while the game’s total is sitting at 187.

Detroit coach Lawrence Frank called his team’s performance Friday against Toronto “embarrassing,” pointing particularly to a third quarter in which the Pistons were outscored 36-15. It wasn’t all bad for Detroit, though, as rookie Andre Drummond returned after missing 22 games because of a stress fracture in his lower back and scored 17 points in 19 minutes. The Pistons could be without another one of their solid young players, though, with guard Brandon Knight listed as doubtful after injuring his ankle against the Raptors.

Detroit lost its last outing, a 99-82 result against the Raptors on March 29. The Pistons failed to cover in that game as a 1.5-point favorite, while the 181 combined points took the game UNDER the total.

Team record: 24-49 SU, 32-41 ATS
Current streak: lost 2 straight games.

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of last 5 games
is 5-12 ATS in its last 17 games
is 4-17-1 ATS in its last 22 games when playing Chicago

When playing on Sunday are 2-8
Before playing Toronto are 2-8
After playing Toronto are 5-5
After a loss are 1-9

The Bulls have held their own with some of their top players sidelined – Marco Belinelli (strained abdominal muscle), Richard Hamilton (back spasms) and Joakim Noah (foot) all sat out Saturday – but they missed having their stars down the stretch against Dallas, as the Mavericks overcame a 12-point deficit in the final four minutes. “This was a tough loss,” guard Kirk Hinrich told reporters. “We just didn’t finish it out.” Noah and Belinelli could return against the Pistons.

Chicago lost its last outing, a 100-98 result against the Mavericks on March 30. The Bulls covered in that game as a 5.5-point underdog, while the 198 combined points took the game OVER the total.

Team record: 39-32 SU, 33-38 ATS

is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
is 17-4-1 ATS in its last 22 games when playing Detroit

When playing on Sunday are 4-6
Before playing Washington are 7-3
After playing Dallas are 7-3
After a loss are 6-4

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Detroit At Orlando
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 27, 2013
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
TV: 6 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Detroit Plus, Fox Sports Florida
Prediction: Pistons 98, Magic 96

Oddsmakers currently have the Magic listed as 2½-point favorites versus the Pistons, while the game’s total is sitting at 197.

Detroit has been inconsistent, but it is at its best when grinding it out in a low-scoring game and letting big man Greg Monroe (15.6 points, 9.2 rebounds) go to work in the paint. The Pistons also have a pair of up-and-coming players in second-year point guard Brandon Knight (13.7 points, 4.4 assists) and rookie center Andre Drummond (7.5 points, 7.4 rebounds). Drummond contributes to a deep bench that averages 37.2 points.

Detroit was a 110-88 loser in its last match on the road against the Heat. They failed to cover the 9.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score of 198 sent OVER bettors to the payout window.

Team record: 16-27 SU, 20-23 ATS
Current streak: lost 2 straight games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of last 5 games when playing Orlando
The total has gone OVER in 6 of last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of last 6 games when playing on the road against Orlando
is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
When playing on Sunday are 3-7
Before playing Milwaukee are 5-5
After playing Miami are 1-9
After a loss are 4-6

Scoring isn’t a problem for Orlando – all five starters average double figures – but the team struggles at the defensive end. That has been especially true lately, as the Magic have allowed 100 or more points in 11 of their last 13 games. Arron Afflalo (17 points) is the top scorer and big men Glen Davis (15.4 points, 7.4 rebounds) and Nikola Vucevic (11.8 points, 11.1 rebounds) are having productive seasons. The Magic also need guards Jameer Nelson (15.2 points, 7.3 assists) and J.J. Redick (14.9 points, 4.4 assists) to shoot well to be successful.

Last time out for Orlando, they were a 97-95 loser as they battled the Raptors at home. The Magic failed to cover in the match as a 4-point favorite, while 192 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

Team record: 14-28 SU, 21-21 ATS
Current streak: lost 4 straight games.
The total has gone OVER in 14 of last 16 games
is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of last 5 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 8 of last 10 games at home
When playing on Sunday are 7-3
Before playing Brooklyn are 5-5
After playing Toronto are 3-7
After a loss are 2-8

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