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 league’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, 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, whose previous career-high was 34, 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.