The Detroit Pistons have been one of the league’s brightest teams for nearly a month. They added to their in-season turnaround with another victory on Saturday night.

The Pistons defeated the Toronto Raptors at Little Caesars Arena, 123-114. With the win, the Pistons are back above .500 at 20-19, cracking the 20-win threshold for the first time since 2021-22 — with 43 games still on the schedule. They’ve won six of seven games and nine of their past 11. (It was also their fifth straight win over the Raptors.)

Cade Cunningham secured his seventh triple-double of the season with 22 points, 17 assists (one shy of his career-high) and 10 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with a season-high 27 points, shooting 9-for-12 overall and 7-for-8 from 3, and Tobias Harris added 17 points and seven rebounds.

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The Pistons led by 13 in the first quarter, but it was otherwise a close game for most of the night. Toronto tied the game at 32 by the end of the first, and there were 16 lead changes and 10 ties. Even though the Pistons shot 52.4% overall and 57.6% from 3, the Raptors kept within distance by scoring 23 points off 17 Pistons turnovers.

With under five minutes remaining and trailing by two, Toronto’s Jacob Poeltl and RJ Barrett missed a pair of free throws apiece on back-to-back possessions. Cunningham then gave the Pistons a 113-109 cushion with a midrange jumper.

With 2:31 left, a dunk from Jalen Duren extended their lead to six, and Malik Beasley’s 3-point dagger with 1:44 on the clock pushed the lead to 118-111, virtually clinching the win.

Hardaway erupts in return

The Pistons’ certainly missed Hardaway’s scoring punch on Thursday, when they just couldn’t muster enough offense during a home loss to the Golden State Warriors. He put together one of his best performances of the season during his return Saturday. 

Hardaway was on fire from the jump, knocking down all three of his 3-point attempts in the opening quarter, and two within the opening minutes. He hit two more in the closing minutes of the second half, helping the Pistons regain the lead after a Raptors push made them face their first deficit of the night, 56-54, with 2:44 to play until halftime. 

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The third period was his strongest — he knocked down all four of his attempts, including two 3-pointers, for 11 points in the quarter. He gave the Pistons the lead twice early in the third with his sixth 3-pointer, and a strong drive through contact that created an opportunity for a three-point play. 

It was his second time in three games scoring at least 26 points, and his seven made 3-pointers were a season-high. 

Bickerstaff donates to Los Angeles fire victims

Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff opened his pregame press conference with words of support for the victims of the fires in Los Angeles that struck the Palisades, among other areas. He matched his words with his actions, as well. 

He agreed to donate $500 toward relief efforts for every assist the Pistons tallied on Saturday. Throughout the game, the Pistons displayed a QR code for NBA Cares on the video board at center court, directing fans toward resources such as American Red Cross and World Central Kitchen. 

“I just wanted to take some time to acknowledge what’s going on in the Los Angeles area, and the families and people and how they’re impacted,” Bickerstaff said. “I was moved to this reading some stuff that JJ Redick was going through, Steve Kerr’s family and community is going through, and I just want to make sure we take this time to find a way to support one another the best way we possibly can. The people that are going through these things, how all of us can do something, no matter what it is, to just reach out and help humanity at this point.”

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.

DETROIT – The Detroit Auto Show is back, and with it comes a carnival of new, unique, wacky rides that are bound to interest gearheads and the general public alike.

MLive journalists were on hand at Huntington Place in Downtown Detroit for Media Day on Friday, Jan. 10 to get an early look at the show. From concept cars to custom classics, take a look at some of the most interesting vehicles we saw below:

Cadillac’s Opulent Velocity Concept Car

The Detroit Auto Show has long been known for showcasing forward-thinking concept cars from established automakers, and this year’s event was no exception. Cadillac highlighted their luxurious electric vehicle concept, aptly named the Opulent Velocity.

Touted as a “pure expression of innovative design and prestigious performance,” the all-electric, scissor-door coupe featured smooth lines, an interior upholstered entirely with blue fabric and low-profile tires partially integrated into its futuristic-looking wheels.

Ford’s Race-Winning F-150 Lightning Supertruck EV

Ford showcased its hot-rodded F-150 Lightning Supertruck electric vehicle demonstrator, which they proudly deemed “King of the Mountain” after its victory at the 102nd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado. Romain Dumas piloted the 1,600-horsepower electric truck up the winding, 156-turn course in a 12.42-mile road race with a finish time of 8:53.553, the fastest of all 61 competitors.

Grounded’s G2 all-electric camper van

Chevrolet subsidiary Grounded showed off a fully built-out G2 electric vehicle equipped as for emission-free van life. The kitted-out camper, based on GM’s Brightdrop Zevo 400 platform, features 270 miles of range, 1 kW solar power, a fully customizable interior and integrated StarLink internet for around $195,000.

MyFlight’s Detroit Helicopter Tour Flights

In keeping with a long tradition of hosting at least one flying vehicle, the auto show featured a Robinson R44 from Detroit-based MyFlight Tours, which offers aerial tours of the Detroit area by helicopter for as little as $55 per person. MyFlight also offers sightseeing flights over Milwaukee, Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, Ocean City, Md. and the Straits of Mackinac.

National Lampoon’s Vacation Wagon and other Movie Cars by Hagerty

Automotive lifestyle company Hagerty has a booth highlighting a collection of seen-on-the-big-screen vehicles including a tribute to the prototypical road trip vehicle: the “Wagon Queen Family Truckster” from National Lampoon’s Vacation.

Other cars in the Hagerty booth include one of the used-on-screen Modena replica Ferrari 250GT Spyder Californias seen in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” a Pontiac Trans-Am K.I.T.T. from “Knight Rider,” the Volkswagen Beetle “Swinger 2″ from “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” and a rare Ferrari 308 GTSi like the one used in “Magnum P.I.”

A Reliant Robin and other Rare, Modified and Custom Vehicles

The lower River Level at Huntington Place features a collection of rare, custom and enthusiast vehicles owned by community members, including the Reliant Robin three-wheeler above. Famously used by Top Gear hosts James May and Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, the Robin was tricycle-style compact car mass-produced in Britain from the 1970s until 2000.

The Gallery, a Luxury and Exotic Vehicle Showcase

Modded Detroit also helped arrange the return of a display of 50 prestigious automobiles from 12 luxury brands, including the Ferrari Monza SP1 above. Brands featured include Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, McLaren, Morgan, Porsche and Rolls-Royce.

Check out some more of our favorite concept cars and oddities below.

READ MORE AUTO SHOW COVERAGE:

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Your Detroit Auto Show guide: Parking, tickets, where to eat and more

When is the Detroit Auto Show? Here’s the list of dates and times

A party-priming performance by Flo Rida capped the Detroit Auto Show’s Charity Preview gala Friday night at Huntington Place.

The rapper’s set was likely the wildest 1 hour and 15 minutes of entertainment in the auto show’s decades-long history, featuring hordes of fans dancing onstage, tequila shots doled out to attendees in the front row, and champagne sprayed onto an audience decked out in deluxe suits and gowns for the evening.

Honorary Detroiter Flavor Flav was a surprise guest, popping up early to perform a bit of Public Enemy’s “911 Is a Joke” and then sticking around to play hype man for the rest of the high-energy set by Flo Rida and his crew, which included a pair of sidemen rappers and two female dancers.

Flo Rida’s show was packed with the hook-heavy songs that made him a radio favorite and club staple during his prolific 2008-2015 mainstream run: The Miami native kicked things off with “In the Ayer,” part of a festive, crowd-pleasing set featuring “Low,” “Whistle,” “Wild Ones,” “Right Round,” “Good Feeling” and other hits.

At a downtown gala where Detroit Lions playoff buzz featured prominently from the ribbon-cutting ceremony onward, Flo Rida was fittingly introduced by fellow Sunshine State native and Lions safety Kerby Joseph. The newly minted All-Pro selection took the stage to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” following a video highlight reel showcasing his NFL-leading season of interceptions.

Another unbilled guest was urban hero White Boy Rick, the onetime teen drug dealer and FBI informant born Richard Wershe Jr., who hoisted a drink and captured selfie video onstage during Flo Rida’s “G.D.F.R.”

Former Detroit City Council member Monica Conyers was among the throng of female fans who took up Flo Rida’s invitation to clamber onstage for a group dance on “Low” — and she was also among those who turned to get a quick booty tap from the pop-rap star.

Flo Rida was a rare hip-hop booking for the auto show, a Detroit institution that may be looking to inject a new shot of energy while evolving into its next chapter. As Friday’s concert moved into its final minutes, Flo Rida and Flavor Flav hopped offstage and into the audience for “Good Feeling,” pausing for selfies and fist-bumps with fans, before wrapping up the festivities with a high-spirited “What a Night.”

For some attendees, the upbeat vibes didn’t last long: Out in the Huntington Place lobby, they faced a congested, hours-long scene at the coat check tables, where police officers stepped in to manage what became an increasingly frustrated crowd waiting to head out into a snowy night.

The Detroit Auto Show will open to the public Saturday and run through Jan. 20 at the Huntington Place convention center in downtown Detroit. Tickets are $10-$20. More details here.

Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.