AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Stan Van Gundy didn't get the complete-game performance he wanted, but his Detroit Pistons did more than enough against the weary Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Pistons coach had expressed frustration over his team's defensive effort during a three-game losing streak. His bellyache subsided during a 115-90 victory Thursday at The Palace.

"I thought we played three good quarters of defense and three good quarters of offense," Van Gundy said. "The second and fourth quarters, I thought we played both. We played decent defense in the first quarter, the problem was we had seven turnovers, and we played good offense in the third quarter."

Point guard Reggie Jackson, who called out his teammates, and himself, after a 108-96 loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday, also saw progress.

"I feel like we got back to being who we were," said Jackson, who had 19 points and nine assists. "Everybody had individual pride and did their best job to keep the ball in front of them. We still can be better on the help side, but that's something we continue to work on, and I think it just got better throughout the game."

Following a 15-point first quarter, Detroit's offense was humming. Center Andre Drummond powered for 23 points and 18 rebounds, and Jackson's backcourt partner, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, tossed in 22 points, including 19 in the second half.

The reserve unit also delivered big returns for the Pistons (18-15), giving them a second-quarter lead they would not relinquish and putting the game out of reach with a fourth-quarter outburst.

Power forward Anthony Tolliver supplied a season-high 15 points on five 3-pointers. Backup point guard Brandon Jennings, in his second game back after recovering from a ruptured left Achilles tendon, chipped in seven points, six rebounds and three assists.

"That unit brought a lot of energy," Van Gundy said.

The Pistons, who were 8-23 heading into the New Year last season, can remain in the playoff mix if they continue to show defensive improvement.

"Obviously, we've come a long way since then," Van Gundy said. "We've really turned the roster around. We've got the kind of people we like, not only in terms of fit but guys who work hard, high-character guys."

Rookie power forward Karl-Anthony Towns' 22 points and nine rebounds led the Timberwolves, who snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

"We've had a lot of games in the last two weeks," Minnesota coach Sam Mitchell said. "I know the effort was there. Our guys played hard in that second half, we just ran out of gas."

Shooting guard Anthony Wiggins had 21 points for Minnesota (12-21), and reserve small forward Shabazz Muhammad contributed 15.

The Timberwolves were outrebounded 52-36 and allowed Detroit to shoot 53.7 percent in the last three quarters.

"They're tough physically, and you have to be ready," Minnesota point guard Ricky Rubio said. "Tonight, especially in the second half, wasn't our night. In the NBA, it's all about being ready every night. Tonight, we couldn't bring it."

Drummond's dunk off a Jackson assist with 7:46 remaining in the third quarter resulted in the game's first double-digit lead at 58-47. Detroit power forward Ersan Ilyasova's 3-pointer with five minutes left in the quarter stretched the advantage to 68-55.

A Drummond dunk made it 76-62, but the Timberwolves finished the quarter on an 8-2 run to whittle Detroit's lead to eight.

Tolliver drained two 3-pointers during a 12-4 Detroit outburst at the beginning of the fourth quarter to double the lead to 16. Tolliver hit another with 5:21 left to make it 104-79.

Drummond achieved his league-best 28th double-double by halftime, racking up 11 points and 12 rebounds as the Pistons grabbed a 45-37 lead.

NOTES: Pistons PG Brandon Jennings, who made his season debut against New York on Tuesday after recovering from an Achilles tendon tear, must adapt to backing up Reggie Jackson. "Beyond the injury, the thing you have to realize with Brandon is he's never been a guy coming off the bench," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "That's a different role for him and it's not easy." ... The Timberwolves won 10 straight meetings before Detroit's 96-86 victory at Target Center in November. Their last loss at The Palace came Feb. 16, 2010. ... Minnesota is 9-0 when holding opponents to 95 points or less. ... The Timberwolves shot below 50 percent from the field in their previous 22 games.