NBA reaction: Who is Malachi Flynn? Pistons guard hits 50-point milestone off the bench

Only two players had scored 50 points off the bench in an NBA game before Wednesday night: Jamal Crawford and Nick Anderson.

Malachi Flynn became the third player to accomplish the feat after scoring a career-high 50 points in the Pistons' 121-113 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He made 18 of his 25 field-goal attempts, five of his nine 3-point attempts and nine of 12 free-throw attempts.

It's the first time Flynn has reached the 50-point milestone at any level. His previous career-high was 27 points, which he reached as a member of the Toronto Raptors on May 16, 2021. He scored 36 points in college during his redshirt junior season at San Diego State.

"I almost did it in high school," Flynn said after the game. "I had 49 and my coach took me out. I still have a grudge."

Flynn also made NBA history on Wednesday night against the Hawks. He entered the game with a career scoring average of 5.2 points per game. No player has ever scored 50 points with a lower career scoring average entering the game. He passed Terrence Ross, who had a career scoring average of 7.4 points entering his 51-point performance against the L.A. Clippers on Jan. 25, 2014.

Flynn was acquired by the Pistons on Feb. 8 in a trade with the New York Knicks. It was the second time he'd been traded this season after the Raptors traded him to New York on Dec. 30. The 6-foot-1 guard was selected by the Raptors with the 29th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Here's a look at what social media is saying about Flynn's 50-point performance:

mcurtis@detroitnews.com

@MikeACurtis2