Hardaway connected on seven of 11 from three-point range on the way to his season-high, leading seven Pistons players to score in double figures.
That included Ausar Thompson with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Dennis Schroder with 17 points and 10 assists as Detroit improved to 42-32 – tripling their win total from last season.
They had to do it without Cade Cunningham, who missed a third straight game with a bruised calf, and Tobias Harris, who was a late scratch with Achilles tendon trouble.
The Pistons withstood a 38-point performance from Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, who helped the Cavs erase a 21-point deficit to close within two with 3:31 to play.
Detroit responded with a 12-1 run to seal the win, which most importantly pushed their lead for fifth place in the East to one and a half games over the Milwaukee Bucks, who fell 116-107 to the New York Knicks.
OG Anunoby scored 20 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter for the Knicks, who handed the Bucks a third straight defeat despite 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists from Giannis Antetokounmpo – who returned after missing one game with a foot sprain.
Golden State superstar Stephen Curry scored 23 points in his return from a two-game absence with a pelvic contusion, lifting the Warriors to a 111-95 victory over the Pelicans in New Orleans.
The Warriors got off to a sluggish start against the struggling Pelicans, who were without Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum.
But Curry scored 13 points in the second quarter to help the Warriors keep it close despite woeful shooting from three-point range.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he thought Curry “looked great” and his team as a whole looked better as the game went on.
“I didn’t love the passing in the first half, but we took care of the ball better in the second half,” Kerr said. “All in all a positive outcome, a positive effort on a night where we’re clearly trying to get our rhythm back as a group.”
The Warriors picked things up on both ends of the floor in the second half. Jimmy Butler added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State, who remained seventh in the West and battling to avoid the play-in tournament.
The Los Angeles Clippers remained in sixth – the final spot for direct entry to the playoffs – after a 132-100 victory over the Nets in Brooklyn.
The Clippers and Warriors have the same 42-31 record, the Clippers holding the head-to-head record tiebreaker.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are just half a game back in eighth after a 124-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points to lead the Clippers, connecting on five of six three-point attempts and 10 of 14 overall.
He added six rebounds, four steals and a pair of blocks, and Ivica Zubac added 21 points on perfect nine-for-nine shooting as the Clippers notched their 10th win in their last 12 games.
The Denver Nuggets, fuelled by 27 points and 14 rebounds from NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, cruised past the Utah Jazz 129-93.
Denver led from start to finish, Jokic and the rest of their starters sitting out the fourth quarter of the rout. (AFP)
