AUBURN HILLS, Mich, Feb. 20 (Ticker) -- With Michael Jordan nearly 1,000 miles away, the Washington Wizards had no one to carry the offense when it counted.

Ben Wallace scored 11 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter and Damon Jones came off the bench for eight of his 17 in the final period as the Detroit Pistons posted a 97-90 victory over the Wizards.

Jordan missed just his second game of the season, not making the trip to Detroit due to a bruised right knee. But the Pistons also were shorthanded as second-leading scorer Clifford Robinson, who was suspended by the league Tuesday after pleading guilty to a drunk-driving charge.

"Obviously he is one of our better players," Detroit coach Rick Carlisle said. "When you take him out of it, it does change the way we had to play the game."

To make matters worse for Detroit, Jerry Stackhouse sat out the entire third quarter with foul trouble and was non-existent down the stretch, finishing with just five points on 2-of-11 shooting.

"Stack got a couple of fouls early, but we never quit playing," Wallace said. "That's what it's all about. That's when your teammates need to step up, when you've got your starters and your captain down."

While no one on the Wizards could fill Jordan's shoes in the closing minutes, Wallace, Jones and Corliss Williamson carried the Pistons' offense, combining for 26 of Detroit's 31 points in the fourth quarter.

The teams exchanged the lead five times in the final period before Williamson snapped the game's final tie, sinking a short jumper to give Detroit an 82-80 lead with 5:27 left.

But the biggest offensive surprise was Wallace, a former Wizard who made just 1-of-6 shots in the first 36 minutes but killed Washington from the free-throw line.

The defensive-minded forward, who was shooting just 43 percent from the line entering the game, made 7-of-8 free throws and a follow dunk in the final 5:03.

Wallace was just 3-of-8 from the floor but sank 8-of-10 free throws while collecting 15 rebounds and five blocks.

"Ben Wallace was big again with the rebounds and the free throws won the game for us," Carlisle said. "Making 8-for-10 down the stretch, that's huge."

"He just controls the basket area and blocks shots," Washington coach Doug Collins said. "The ones he didn't block, he changed. He's worked hard and stepped up making his free throws."

Williamson scored 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting and fellow reserve Jon Barry scored 12 points as the Pistons' bench outscored its counterparts, 51-33.

"Their bench had 51 points, we were very fortunate that Stack got in foul trouble," Collins said. "They have a very good bench. We had no answers for Corliss Williamson and Damon Jones hit some big baskets and Ben Wallace was awesome."

Rookie Zeljko Rebraca, who started in place of Robinson, added 12 points and eight rebounds for Detroit, which remained tied with Milwaukee atop the Central Division.

"That's what good teams do, they play when they are faced with adversity," Wallace said. "Clifford wasn't here and that took Rebraca's minutes up and Corliss got more minutes and the guys contributed."

The Pistons have won four straight games and 10 of their last 12. They are a season-high eight games over for the first time since December 13, when they were 14-6.

"We love the fact that we've had a resurgence but we never want to lose sight of how fragile our game is," Carlisle said. "A lot of guys have made sacrifices, a lot of guys are pouring their hearts into the kind of effort it takes for this team to win."

Richard Hamilton scored 22 points and Chris Whitney added 19 for the Wizards, who have lost four of their last five games.

Hubert Davis had 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, but Washington managed to shoot only 39 percent (32-of-81).

Williamson scored eight points during a 15-4 run the Pistons used to bridge the first and second quarters. He capped the stretch with a free throw to give Detroit its largest lead, 33-20, with 9:45 left in the first half.

But Hamilton scored eight points as the Wizards closed the second quarter on a 27-17 run to pull within 50-47 at halftime.

Barry sank a 3-pointer to give Detroit a 56-50 led midway through the third, but Hamilton responded with a jump shot and Whitney nailed a 3-pointer.

Neither team led by more than four points until Jones buried his second 3-pointer of the fourth quarter to give the Pistons an 89-82 cushion with 3:52 remaining.