“We did what we were supposed to do,” said Pistons coach Flip Saunders. “We went out we played at home, we won at home, we played well, we exerted how we wanted to play as far as on them and we’ve got to expect to know that they’ll play a lot better on Monday and so we’re going to have a play a lot better.”

Despite a long layoff since eliminating the Orlando Magic last Saturday, the Pistons found an offensive rhythm right after the opening tip, thanks to Chauncey Billups. Billups made his first two attempts from the field to score the game’s first four points. He had 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and three assists in the first quarter and finished with 20 points.

“When Chauncey came out, he definitely set the tone,” said Rip Hamilton, who also had 20 for Detroit. “It wasn’t the type of game where you can lay back and wait to see how they’re guarding you. You have to hit first, because that’s the way they play.

“(Billups) did an excellent job coming out, being aggressive, making plays at the rim, getting guys involved and things like that.”

The Bulls trailed 9-7 when guard Kirk Hinrich was called for a personal foul - Chicago’s fifth in the first five minutes, while Detroit had none - followed by a technical foul on Bulls coach Scott Skiles. Chicago starters Ben Gordon and P.J. Brown each had two early fouls and never got in the flow of the game, combining for 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting.

“That’s another way you can tell we’re not on, when we come out and we’re a half-step slow and start fouling and just out of position,” Skiles said. “We had so many breakdowns, it was extreme. You’re not going to beat the Pistons one time like that. That’s a great club and you can’t play like that.”

Both teams shot an identical 9-for-19 from the field in the first quarter (47.4 percent) as Detroit took a 29-23 lead, but the Bulls would play catch-up the rest of the night.

Two Detroit reserves who were non-factors in the Orlando series, Lindsey Hunter and Jason Maxiell, had major contributions in the second quarter. Hunter had four assists and three steals and Maxiell went 3-for-3, scoring six straight Pistons points. Maxiell’s offensive rebound and dunk fired up the Pistons fans as Detroit took a 16-point lead late in the first half, 47-31.

Sixth-man forward Antonio McDyess led a superior rebounding effort by the Pistons with 10 rebounds, four offensive.

“We knew that if we came out and played hard, play aggressive, anything’s capable,” Hamilton said. “I loved the way we played. Max came off the bench was great, Lindsey came off the bench was great, Antonio came off the bench was great, and energy’s everything for us.”

The Pistons held the Bulls to 33 percent shooting from the field (6-of-18) in the third quarter. After three quarters, the Pistons had a double-digit rebounding advantage and had generated 17 points off 16 Chicago turnovers. Only Luol Deng (18 points) and Kirk Hinrich (15) reached double figures for the Bulls.

“We had a chance to get back in the game but they were just the aggressor all over the place,” Skiles said. “A great pro effort, and they deserved to win.”

The Pistons opened the fourth quarter with consecutive triples by Rasheed Wallace, Hamilton as the shot clock expired and Tayshaun Prince to ignite a 16-3 run that pushed the Pistons lead to 22 points, 79-57.

Wallace also opened the third quarter with a triple and was 3-of-5 from the behind the arc. He and Prince each had 13 points, and Maxiell finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

After taking three of four regular-season meetings - including an 18-point victory at The Palace a month ago - against the Pistons, the question is no longer how to handle the long layoff but how the Bulls will respond to being thoroughly outperformed in Game 1.

“I guess we failed to get that point across, of what it was going to take to come in here and play well, because as I said, we just seemed like we thought we could ease ourselves into the game or that it would be easier than it was,” Skiles said. “Hopefully this is a good learning experience.”

Game 2 is Monday at The Palace.