Saddiq Bey Erupts For 51 As Pistons Claim Lottery Bowl vs. Magic

Well, someone had to win, and Saddiq Bey made darn sure it was the Pistons.

Bey exploded for a career-high 51 points, lifting the Pistons to a 134-120 road win over the Magic in a battle of two of the NBA’s lowliest teams on Thursday. 

The Pistons (19-51) and Magic (18-53) are playing for nothing more than position in the NBA Draft lottery, and thanks to the loss, the Magic extended their lead in the Ping Pong ball department.

Saddiq Bey scored 51 points in tonight's win at ORL, becoming the 7th player in Pistons history to score at least 50 points in a game. He joins G. Yardley, D. Bing, K. Tripucka, J. Stackhouse, R. Hamilton and B. Griffin. #Pistons

(via @bball_ref)

— Pistons PR (@Pistons_PR) March 18, 2022

Bey made 10 3-pointers and grabbed 10 rebounds on a night where everything seemingly went right for the second-year forward. He entered Thursday averaging 15.8 points.

“He had 30 in the first half … we were definitely expecting 50,” Pistons center Isaiah Stewart said, via Rod Beard of the Detroit News.

Marvin Bagley III added 20 points and 11 boards, and Stewart finished with 16 and 10, respectively, in the NBA’s lone game of the night.

Rookie Franz Wagner led the Magic with 26 points, while older brother Moritz Wagner chipped in 16.

But the story of the night, clearly, was Bey.

“I tried to make the right reads as much as I can,” he said. “I don’t want to make it a one-man show. Everybody plays hard.”