AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- It's hard to miss Boban Marjanovic. The 7-foot-3 second-year center from Serbia stands out in any crowd and he has become a fan favorite with the Detroit Pistons.

Somehow, coach Stan Van Gundy ignored Marjanovic in the closing minutes against the Charlotte Hornets, and it nearly cost his team the game.

Reggie Jackson made two free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining after the Pistons gave away a 19-point fourth-quarter lead and held on for a 115-114 victory on Thursday at The Palace.

Marjanovic got a rare chance to play extended minutes and delivered a huge performance. He powered for 15 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in 22 minutes but didn't play the final 9:54.

Van Gundy used the word great three times to describe the big man's effort.

"Probably the biggest reason the game got close is I took him out for a rest, and then it got late and I didn't go back to him," Van Gundy said. "I should have just left him in, as tired as he was, and probably the game would have been over."

Marjanovic got the opportunity with starter Andre Drummond in foul trouble and usual backup Aron Baynes injured. His previous high in rebounds was 13, when he played for San Antonio last season.

"What he did was special," Jackson said. "Second-chance points, keeping the ball alive for us and really helping us get them in foul trouble."

Marjanovic grabbed nine of Detroit's 16 offensive rebounds, forcing those fouls. He was officially 3 of 4 from the field and 9 of 11 from the foul line.

"I'm good-sized, strong. I work, lift," the affable Marjanovic said. "They don't allow me to make easy baskets, they put the free throw line."

Tobias Harris scored 25 points for Detroit (17-21), which had lost 11 of its last 16 games.

Jackson finished with 22 points and 11 assists, and Marcus Morris had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Pistons, who now embark on a five-game West Coast trip. Drummond added 16 points and nine rebounds.

"They came out, they beat us up on the boards early and that's on me," Charlotte center Spencer Hawes said. "That's on the bigs. We've got to do a better job."

Kemba Walker's 32 points paced the Hornets (20-17), who have lost three of their last four outings. Walker scored 20 of Charlotte's season-high 44 fourth-quarter points. Hornets forward Marvin Williams had 19 points and seven rebounds, while Hawes tossed in 18 points.

"It's frustrating," Hawes said. "We battled and we don't have to question whether this team is going to do that or not. When you dig a hole like that on the road, especially on the second night of a back-to-back, you put so much into just getting yourself back into the game and just giving yourself a chance. That being said, it came down to a one-possession game at the end."

The Pistons were up by 19 when Marjanovic came out and the Hornets proceeded to outscored them 41-22 to tie it. Hawes hit an open 3-pointer with eight seconds left after a kickout pass from Marco Belinelli to complete that comeback.

"I'm not even going to get into it because I'll go crazy," Van Gundy said of his team's late collapse.

Walker then fouled Jackson in the lane, and Detroit's point guard made both free throws. Morris was called for a foul on the subsequent inbounds, giving Charlotte a free throw while retaining possession. Belinelli made the foul shot.

Jackson deflected the ball out of bounds on the inbounds, reducing the clock to 0.5 of a second. Belinelli's basket after he bounced the ball off Morris' back on the next inbounds play was deemed too late.

NOTES: Charlotte F Cody Zeller made the trip but was ruled out for the third straight game as he recovers from a concussion. .. Pistons C Aron Baynes was sidelined for the second straight game with a left ankle sprain. ... Hornets G Kemba Walker played the 400th game of his career. He is fourth on the franchise list for games played. ... Charlotte is 6-0 when Walker and G Nicolas Batum each score at least 20 points. ... Heading into Thursday's action the Hornets and Pistons were tied for fewest turnovers per game in the league (12.0 apiece). ... Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy maintains that the team's work ethic remains strong, despite its poor play in the past month. "This is far from a group that's given up the ship," he said. "The group is working hard, it's a high-character group. Everybody's frustrated because we're not playing as well as any of us thinks we're capable of playing."