| Detroit Free Press
Detroit Pistons Saddiq Bey on career night against Boston Celtics
Detroit Pistons rookie Saddiq Bey speaks to the media on February 12, 2021, after his first 30-point performance in the NBA led to a victory against the Boston Celtics.
Detroit Pistons
On the second night of a rugby game against a participant in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons needed a lift on Friday.
Rookie wing Saddiq Bey came to the event – and then some. He scored a career high of 30 points, a career high of 12 rebounds and set the franchise record for 3 points that made a rookie in a game that was 7-for-7 from deep around the Pistons to lead a 108-102. upset against the Boston Celtics.
Delon Wright continued his series of strong performances with 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds. He has at least 22 points and seven assists in three of his last four games. The Pistons improved to 3-1 when Wright scored at least 20 points.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 33 points, and Jaylen Brown added 27.
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Saddiq Bey has historic shooting night
Bey had pieces this season where he looked like the best shooter on the rankings. Thursday he was definitely it. And more
Bey could not simply miss it. He posted Grant Williams halfway through the second quarter, made a foul and completed the en-1. The game seems to have stirred him up as he made all three of his three-point attempts before halftime. In the second and third quarters, he made 5-for-5 from 3 and made seven of his eight attempts off the field.
It was also not all three points. In the first quarter, he dropped Williams from the 3-point line to the edge and made a foul on Jaylen Brown while posting him at the end of the second quarter. The conversion of appearance within the arc has been a process for Bey this season, but he has not hesitated to be physically close to the edge; it has borne fruit several times against the Celtics.
Head coach Dwane Casey overtook Bey again with 2:10 left in the game, while the Pistons had a two-point lead after leading by double figures at the start of the quarter. Allegedly, Bey overtook the three-pointer by 38.7 seconds.
Friday was a career night for Bey, but it was a good week for the rookie. He scored 15 during Detroit’s win over the Brooklyn Nets made all six of his shots on Tuesday, including three three-pointers. All 15 came in the fourth quarter. After a strong start to the season, Bey became cold by mid-January. He seems to have found his rhythm again.
Injuries force more experimentation in the middle
The Pistons were without Mason Plumlee (right elbow bursitis) and Jahlil Okafor (left knee surgery) on Thursday against the Indiana Pacers, and their lack of size hurt them in the 17-point loss. Casey said the Pistons will rely on Sekou Doumbouya as a small ball center until Plumlee returns.
But Doumbouya was out on Friday with a concussion. Isaiah Stewart recorded his second start of the career but dropped less than three minutes after conceding his second offense. Jerami Grant, who played center before joining the Pistons, made his franchise debut at the start of the second quarter.
Griffin, who played both games for the first time since 2019 on a rugby game, also played extended minutes at center. It is unclear whether Plumlee or Doumbouya will return in time for the match by Sunday New orleans Pelicans.
Pistons stay warm against good teams
Those who have not watched the Pistons closely this season may be surprised to read with whom they have faced seven wins this season.
The list – the Celtics, Phoenix Sun, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Los angeles Lakers, Nets and the Celtics, again.
Even with a loss by Thursday, the past seven days have been perhaps Detroit’s best of the season. They took a healthy Lakers team after two overtimes on Saturday, defeating the Nets (albeit without Kevin Durant) at home and decisively defeating the Celtics on Friday. The Pistons are hitting their pace as their difficult schedule will ease.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. TRead more about the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.