Detroit Pistons guard Malachi Flynn (L) scored 33 of his 50 points in the second half of a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday in Atlanta. Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA-EFE
April 4 (UPI) — Malachi Flynn nearly doubled his career-high, scoring a franchise-record 50 points off the Detroit Pistons bench in a 121-113 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Pistons reserve made 18 of 25 shots (72%), including five 3-pointers and nine free throws, in the setback Wednesday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Flynn scored 33 points in the second half, including 19 in the fourth quarter.
“It’s tough, because at the end of the day you want to win,” Flynn told reporters. “That’s always my main goal, to win. But it definitely feels good. The guys congratulated me in the back, that also felt good, to take in the moment. I’m sure, in a couple days from now, it will feel a little bit better.”
Flynn is the third player in recorded history to score at least 50 points off the bench in an NBA game.
The Pistons outscored the Hawks 68-22 in bench points — mostly because of Flynn — and 25-13 off fast breaks. The Hawks outshot their foes 54.4% to 45.7% overall and held a 48-37 edge in rebounding.
Three Hawks players scored more than 20 points, led by forward Jalen Johnson, who recorded a 28-point, 14-rebound, 11-assist triple-double. Forward De’Andre Hunter and guard Dejounte Murray chipped in 26 and 24 points, respectively.
The Hawks outscored the visitors 28-23 in the first quarter, with Flynn scoring eight points in 5:38 of action. Flynn scored another nine in the second, but the Hawks outpaced the Pistons 31-27 over those 12 minutes to carry a 59-50 lead into the break.
Flynn went 5 for 5, en route to 14 points, in the third quarter, but the Pistons were outscored again. He then went off, making 8 of 13 shots over the final 12 minutes. The Pistons, who trailed by as many as 22 points, cut the deficit to five multiple times down the stretch, but could not rally for a comeback victory.
Center Jalen Duren and guard Marcus Sasser were the only other Pistons players to reach double figures in scoring. They scored 11 points apiece in the loss.
Flynn, a first-round pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 2020 NBA Draft, joined the Pistons in a February trade from the New York Knicks. The 25-year-old guard pushed his season scoring average from 4.6 to 5.3 points per game with his 50-point performance. His previous season-high was a 17-point effort in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on March 24 in Detroit.
The Pistons (13-63) will battle the Memphis Grizzlies (26-50) at 8 p.m. EDT Friday in Memphis. The Hawks (36-40) will face the Dallas Mavericks (45-30) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Dallas.
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