Malachi Flynn, who was acquired by the Pistons at the NBA trade deadline, had a previous career high of 27 points.
Pistons guard Malachi Flynn exploded for a career-high 50 points off the bench in Detroit’s 121-113 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Flynn’s 50 are the most points scored off the bench in franchise history, surpassing Richard Hamilton’s 38 points on Feb. 7, 2009. He scored 33 points in the second half.
The performance ties Flynn for the second-most points off the bench in NBA history, behind only Jamal Crawford’s 51 points on April 9, 2019, and makes him only the third bench player ever to reach the half-century mark off the bench. Nick Anderson scored 50 on April 23, 1993.
Flynn, whose previous career high was 27, was 18-for-25 from the floor and 9-for-12 at the line. He also had a season-high six rebounds, five assists and five steals in 34 minutes.
“It’s tough (to put in perspective) because at the end of the day you want to win,” Flynn said. “But it does feel good to kind of take in the moment. I’m sure a couple of days from now, it will feel really good.”
Malachi Flynn shoots 18-for-25 from the field, including 5-for-9 from 3-point range.
Flynn didn’t first check into the game until the 5:38 mark of the first quarter and still found a way to become just the 10th player this season to reach the 50-point mark.
Flynn, who has averaged 5.2 points per game for his career, has the lowest scoring average of any player with a 50-point game in NBA history.