With eight seconds to play before halftime, Saddiq Bey received the ball after an offensive rebound and drained a high-arcing midrange jumper over Ignas Brazdeikis’ outstretched arm.
He then stole the inbounds pass from Mo Bamba, dumped it off to Cory Joseph and received the ball back. Everyone in Amway Center knew Bey was launching a 3-pointer. The Orlando Magic couldn’t react in time, and Bey splashed it with a few seconds to spare.
The Detroit Pistons’ reserves’ reaction said it all. Thursday night was all Bey. It seemed like every shot he took was destined to go in. During a game in which the Pistons were missing their top two scorers (Jerami Grant and Cade Cunningham), Bey filled the void — and then some.
Bey finished with a career-high 51 points — shattering his previous high of 33 — and the Pistons dismantled the Magic in their home arena, 134-120. The 51 came in efficient fashion: 17-for-27 shooting, including 10-for-14 on 3-pointers, and makes on seven of 10 free throws. His final 3-pointer of the night — a stepback with 1:09 remaining in the fourth — tied a franchise record set by Joe Dumars in 1994.
Bey was electric from the start, scoring 30 in the first half on 10-for-15 shooting. It was clear he was destined for a big performance after the opening period, with 21 points.
The Pistons were up by double digits during the entire fourth quarter, and led by as many as 17. But Bey entered the period with 36 points, so the coaching staff allowed him to play nearly eight minutes to extend his career night. He cracked the 50-point threshold with eight seconds remaining, drawing a foul and knocking down both shots as his teammates — and a healthy gathering of Pistons fans —cheered him on.
Bey is the first Piston to score at least 50 points since Blake Griffin accomplished the feat on Oct. 24, 2018, and the seventh player in team history to do so. Bey’s performance overshadowed an overall strong game by the Pistons as a whole, as they shot 50% from the floor and knocked down 20 of 43 3-point attempts to snap a four-game skid.
Marvin Bagley III finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds and knocked down two of five 3-point attempts, and Isaiah Stewart added 16 points and nine rebounds.
Follow Omari Sankofa II on Twitter @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons’ Saddiq Bey scores 51 points in win over Magic
