Detroit Pistons

2024-04-03

Detroit Pistons' Malachi Flynn erupts for 50 points in loss at Atlanta Hawks, 121-113

Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press

ATLANTA — It was an all-time night for Malachi Flynn, the 29th pick of the 2020 draft who is scrapping to keep his career afloat. His career-high before Wednesday was 27 points. He had 31 before the end of the third quarter, and nearly doubled his previous high.

Flynn, who joined the Detroit Pistons during the flurry of acquisitions at the trade deadline and came off of the bench on Wednesday, finished with 50 points — yes, 50 points — on 18-for-25 overall shooting, 5-for-9 shooting from 3 and 9-for-12 at the line. If only his teammates kept up with him.

Still, the Pistons fell to the Atlanta Hawks on the road, 121-113. The Hawks opened the third quarter with a 20-8 run, pushing a nine-point halftime lead to 22. Beside Flynn, the Pistons struggled to score. Jalen Duren (11 points, 5-for-13) and Marcus Sasser (11 points, 4-for-13) were Detroit's only other players to reach double-figures in scoring. As a team, the Pistons shot 36.7% in the first half.

The Pistons were without Cade Cunningham, who was a last-minute scratch due to left knee injury management. He was initially listed as “questionable” on the injury report, but the team upgraded him to active and listed him as a starter. He was then ruled out just a few minutes before tip-off.

The Pistons kept battling, though. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Flynn and Sasser early in the fourth brought them within single digits, 94-85, and a pair of free throws by Wiseman cut it to 99-92. Flynn then cut it to five, 104-99, with his fourth 3-pointer of the night with 5:18 remaining.

A 3-pointer by De'Andre Hunter and transition alley-oop dunk off by Clint Cappella off a Pistons turnover, pushed Atlanta's lead back to 10 with under four minutes left and gave them enough cushion to close out the win. Flynn knocked down a 3-pointer and layup in the final minute, bringing the Pistons within five points once again with 30 seconds to play.

Flynn carries Cunningham-less Pistons

The fourth-year guard has had a steady — and perhaps unappreciated — role since arriving in Detroit at the trade deadline. He’s appeared in 18 of the 25 games he’s been eligible to play for the Pistons, and he’d quietly been in the midst of his best stretch as a scorer this season before Wednesday’s outburst.

Flynn entered the game averaging 11.8 points while shooting 48.8% overall and 39.1% from 3, in 20.4 minutes in his previous five games. That includes a then-season-high 17 points against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 24. Wednesday was different — he matched his season-high in 13 minutes of action.

He entered halftime with 17 points, making five of his eight shot attempts and six of seven free throws. Detroit trailed by nine, 59-50, and likely would’ve been completely out of the game if it weren’t for Flynn. Duren and Jaden Ivey had nine and eight points each, on 7-for-22 combined shooting.

Atlanta’s 20-8 run to open the second half was too much for the Pistons to overcome. Flynn, once again, was Detroit’s only player who could get a bucket. He added 14 more points to his total in the third, and his last buckets of the quarter — a pair of free throws — with 1:04 on the clock capped a 15-3 Pistons run that cut Atlanta’s lead to 89-79.

He then scored seven of Detroit’s first 10 points of the fourth, cutting the Hawks’ lead back to 10, before his final two 3-pointers cut it to five twice in the final 5 minutes.

The Hawks had three players score at least 20: Jalen Johnson had 28 points and 11 rebounds, De'Andre Hunter had 26 points and seven boards and Dejounte Murray added 24 points and 11 assists.

Next up: Grizzlies

Matchup: Pistons (13-63) at Memphis (25-50 entering Wednesday).

Tipoff: 8 p.m. Friday; FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee.

TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WWJ-AM (950).