AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Right from the start, Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons served notice they weren't going to follow one bad performance with another.

Drummond blocked a Jusuf Nurkic layup try on the Denver Nuggets' first possession, a sign of things to come for the Pistons. Detroit scored the first 10 points and never looked back, romping past the Nuggets 103-86 on Saturday at The Palace.

"The very first play of the game, Andre was locked in and knew what was coming," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "He saw the start of the play, sniffed out what was happening and was on it. All of our guys were really on it from the get-go."

The Pistons were embarrassed to give up 71 first-half points in a 109-101 road loss to Brooklyn on Wednesday. They held the Nuggets to 33 percent shooting and scored 22 points off turnovers in their wire-to-wire victory on Saruday.

"Our energy on defense was a lot better," Detroit forward Jon Leuer said. "Guys really took it as a challenge after our last performance. We were in the right spots all the time and that's how you have to play."

Drummond powered for 19 points and 20 rebounds, his third 20-rebound game of the season. He also made three blocks, giving him 500 for his career.

It was a bounce-back effort for the All-Star. Drummond was benched for much of the second half at Brooklyn for what Van Gundy deemed a low-energy performance.

The veteran coach would like to see the same approach on their upcoming four-game West Coast swing, which begins on Monday.

"In the first quarter, our defense was the best it's been all year and maybe as good as it's been since I've been here," Van Gundy said. "We were really making more than one or two efforts on every possession. For three quarters of the game, we really locked in and defended well."

Leuer scored a season-high 15 points off the bench and Marcus Morris contributed 15 points and six rebounds for Detroit (4-2).

Backup forward Wilson Chandler had a season-best 21 points and nine rebounds for Denver (2-3), which is 1-2 on its current five-game road trip. Danilo Gallinari added 16 points and Jusuf Nurkic chipped in 10 points and 12 rebounds.

"We're only five games in, but it's been a pattern for four straight games where we've gotten down by 15, 18, 20 to start the game," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "We're paid professionals, you've got to be ready to play at the jump ball and we have not been."

Denver guard Gary Harris, making his season debut after recovering from a right groin strain, scored three points in 15 minutes.

Nurkic was whistled for a Flagrant Foul 1 with 7:02 left in the third quarter by knocking Drummond to the floor while making an offensive move. Drummond, a notoriously poor free throw shooter, made both foul shots and then hit a jump hook. The four-point possession gave Detroit a 64-51 advantage.

The Pistons maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the quarter and carried a 77-67 lead into the fourth. The Nuggets went scoreless for nearly the first four minutes of the quarter, committing five turnovers during that span, and Detroit doubled its lead.

Morris scored the first four points of the fourth. Stanley Johnson then fired in two jumpers and Morris finished off the 10-0 run with two free throws. Chandler made a runner to end Denver's drought.

Detroit cruised to the win from that point.

"We spent so much energy trying to get back in the game, then they went on another run to kind of bust the game wide open," Chandler said. "It was over from there."

NOTES: Pistons SG Reggie Bullock, who has not played this season, has been diagnosed with a hip pointer. ... Nuggets SG Will Barton missed his second straight game because of a sprained left ankle. ... Denver coach Michael Malone said the Nuggets' depth makes it difficult to develop a rotation. "When I look to put my sub chart together going into every game, I'm saying, 'How the heck are we going to play all these guys?'" he said. ... Detroit's second-year F Stanley Johnson scored only two baskets in the team's first five games but responded with 12 points on Saturday. "He practiced at a different level yesterday, was much more intense, and then he played a good game," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "He has to understand it's not a coincidence." ... Denver won 10 of the previous 12 meetings with Detroit, including a two-game sweep last season.