Pistons' Malachi Flynn sets team record with 50 points off the bench in loss to Hawks

Less than 10 minutes before tipoff, the Pistons revealed that Cade Cunningham would not be available for the first game of a four-leg road trip.

Cunningham was initially listed as a starter against the Atlanta Hawks, but he was downgraded to out due to left knee injury management. Marcus Sasser, who missed the last three games due to an upper respiratory illness, started in his place.

It's hard to duplicate the offensive production exhibited by Cunningham over the last there games, but Malachi Flynn did his best to keep the Pistons competitive. He exploded for a career-high 50 points off the bench in Detroit's 121-113 loss to the Hawks.

The Pistons trailed by as many as 22 points and trimmed the deficit to five points thanks to 19 points by Flynn in the fourth quarter. He knocked down a 3-pointer and scored a layup in the final minute of the game.

Flynn's 50-point performance are the most points scored off the bench in franchise history, surpassing Richard Hamilton's 38 points on Feb. 7, 2009. He scored 33 points in the second half.

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

"He just works on his game," said Pistons coach Monty Williams. "He's in the gym every morning, pretty much an hour before practice, maybe more. He works on his game. All those shots that he made are shots I see him working on every day. It wasn't just that. He had some timely passes that tell you a lot about him as a player."

Flynn was acquired by the Pistons at the trade deadline on Feb. 8 in a trade with the New York Knicks alongside Quentin Grimes.

Sasser and Jalen Duren added 11 points each. Tosan Evbuomwan, Chimezie Metu and James Wiseman scored nine points apiece.

Five players reached double scoring figures for the Hawks, led by Jalen Johnson, who had a triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. De'Andre Hunter had 26 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Dejounte Murray had 24 points and 11 assists. Clint Capela recorded a double-double of 11 points and 16 rebounds.

BOX SCORE: Hawks 121, Pistons 113

The Pistons dropped to 13-63, while the Hawks improved to 36-40.

Flynn joins the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker, Jalen Brunson, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, Zach Lavine and Tyrese Maxey as players who've reached the 50-point mark this season.

The Pistons will remain in Atlanta to practice on Thursday before heading to Memphis for a rematch against the Grizzlies on Friday.

mcurtis@detroitnews.com

@MikeACurtis2