ORLANDO, Fla. — Saddiq Bey went off for a career-high 51 points in the Detroit Pistons‘ 134-120 win over the Orlando Magic on Thursday night, continuing what has already been a torrid month of individual scoring in the NBA.
Bey’s performance marked the NBA’s eighth 50-point game in March, the most in one calendar month over the past 50 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The last month with more was December 1962, when there were nine 50-point games.
Overall, there have been 17 50-point games this season, and Bey is the 13th player to pull the feat this season, matching the most in a season in NBA history. At 22, he is the youngest player with a 50-point game in Pistons history, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Two nights after being torched for 16 points in the first quarter by Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving on his way to a 60-point game, the Magic gave up 21 points in the first quarter to Bey.
Bey finished the first half in spectacular fashion, scoring five points in less than five seconds. He hit a 20-footer while falling out of bounds with 8.8 seconds left, came up with a back-court steal and made a 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left, leaving the Pistons with a 73-62 lead.
The Magic scored the first nine points of the game, but that lead was quickly erased by Bey. The Pistons moved ahead for keeps on a dunk by Isaiah Stewart that broke a 50-50 tie midway through the second quarter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.