Jerami Grant (#9) and Saddiq Bey #41 of the Detroit Pistons (Getty Images/AFP file photo)
MIAMI – Saddiq Bey scored a career-high 51 points as the Detroit Pistons thrashed the Orlando Magic 134-120 in a battle of the NBA Eastern Conference’s already eliminated teams on Thursday.
Bey made 10 three-pointers from 14 attempts and was 17-of-27 from the field, with 10 rebounds and four assists in a one-sided drubbing at the Magic’s Amway Center in Florida.
Marvin Bagley backed Bey with 20 points while Isaiah Stewart added 16, in a game the Pistons led from the middle of the second period.
Bey set the tone for his career-best evening with a devastating burst of scoring in the first quarter, finishing with 21 points.
German rookie Franz Wagner led the Magic scorers with 26 points while big brother Moritz Wagner finished with 16 points.
Terrence Ross added 17 from the bench for Orlando.
The win saw the Pistons improve to 19-51, while Orlando dropped to 18-53, the worst record in the NBA.
Both Detroit and Orlando, 14th and 15th in the Eastern Conference, had already been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.