Bargnani finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds — 10 of them on defence — for the Raptors (2-2). Chris Bosh continued his strong start to the year with 25 points and eight rebounds.

Toronto had a total of 31 defensive boards to go along with seven steals, correcting some previous poor play without the ball that had plagued the club in their two previous losses.

Ben Gordon had 27 points for Detroit (2-3), while teammate Charlie Villanueva added 16.

The Pistons gave the Raptors a scare early in the fourth quarter, coming within four points of Toronto’s lead, before Bargnani hit a three-point shot.

Later in the period, Detroit took their first lead since early in the second quarter, with Will Bynum’s layup to make it 91-90.

Jose Calderon restored Toronto’s lead with a three-pointer, moments later, and Bargnani later added four straight free throws to finally put the game out of reach.

The Raptors separated themselves from the Pistons early in the third quarter, stretching their lead to 17 at one point.

Ben Wallace put forth his best effort to keep Detroit in the game with a pair of dunks and helped his team narrow the gap to just eight points, 85-77 going into the final period.

Bargnani scored the first bucket of the game thanks to a steal and also added a defensive rebound that lead to Calderon scoring and giving the Raptors a 10-9 lead.

This was a positive start for the Raptors whose defence has been poor so far this season, hurting their great offensive numbers.

The lead didn’t last long though, as the Pistons then went on a seven-point run, before Bosh was fouled and sunk both of his free throws.

Detroit then began to pull away again thanks in large part to 12 opening quarter points from Gordon and a pair of three pointers from Villanueva.

Toronto charged back at the end of the first quarter with strong play at both ends of the court from Bargnani who had a couple defensive rebounds and nailed a three-point shot to close the Pistons lead to 28-24.

Early in the second quarter, the Raptors capped their comeback with a 16-3 run, highlighted by Antoine Wright’s three-pointer off the bench. Minutes in, Toronto was up 38-31.

The Raps kept coming with a highlight reel behind-the-back pass from Jarrett Jack to Bargnani for a soaring dunk and 43-33 lead. Toronto’s second unit already had 22 points by this time.

Detroit tried to chip away at the Raptors lead, but Toronto found ways to stay ahead, including successful three-pointers by Hedo Turkoglu and Wright. The Raptors had a 68-56 lead at halftime.

The Pistons entered Wednesday’s game having won five straight versus the Raptors and seven of the team’s last eight meetings.

Veterans Richard Hamilton (ankle) and Tayshaun Prince (back) did not suit up for Detroit.

After a promising start to the season with a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto (1-2) has dropped two in a row, ceding 115 points to the Memphis Grizzlies and 125 to the Magic.

“We didn’t do the things defensively that we’ve been talking about since the preseason,” veteran forward Chris Bosh said after the loss to Orlando. “Have all contested shots and give them one rebound.”

Toronto had only a total of two steals and six blocked shots against the Magic.

Head coach Jay Triano will also want to emphasize rebounding, particularly on offence.

In their last game, Toronto was out-worked on the offensive boards by the Magic 14-9. They are currently ranked 21st in the National Basketball Association in recovering the ball.

The Dinos will get an opportunity to find their defensive backbone Wednesday night against the 2-2 Pistons. 

Detroit will need to keep up constant pressure on offence, something that has been a problem for them in their first four games.

“When teams go on a run, instead of us staying with what we were doing in the first half,” said former Raptors’ first round pick Charlie Villanueva. “It seems like we get away from that and lose a little bit of focus.”

Injuries have already started to pile up for the Pistons, reflecting their older lineup.

Tayshaun Prince, a mainstay of the lineup for years, will miss the game in Toronto to rest a sore back. Up until Tuesday night’s game with Orlando the veteran forward played 496 consecutive games.

Richard Hamilton will be a game-time decision for the Pistons, having already missed three games this season with a sprained right foot.

One thing Raptors fans can rely on is that their team can score.

Bosh is off to a hot start, averaging 31 points-per-game, while Andrea Bargnani is coming into his own, averaging 22 scores each night.

Bargnani has become a 3-point threat this year, making eight treys so far this season, with a solid 61.5 shooting percentage.

After playing the Pistons, Toronto will spend most of the next three weeks on the road, with seven of their next eight games outside the friendly confines of the ACC. Their first stop will be this Friday in New Orleans.

Detroit will head south for a rubber match in Orlando.