Malik Beasley’s emotions were all over the place on Thursday night. At one point late in the fourth quarter, the only thing Beasley could say was, “Oh, my God.”
“I cannot believe that just happened,” Beasley said. “It was honestly something that I had never been a part of. To be able to pull a win off like this is huge. I am definitely going to celebrate and get back to work tomorrow.”
The Detroit Pistons trailed the Sacramento Kings, 113- 110, with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter when Jaden Ivey nailed a threepoint play to tie the game at 113. All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox fouled Ivey on his 3-point shot attempt and Ivey went on to make the game-winning free throw. As a result, the Pistons secured a 114-113 victory over the Kings at the Golden 1 Center Thursday night.
Ivey’s late-game heroics led to the Pistons’ third consecutive win amid their current four-game western road trip. However, his performance down the stretch was a small sample size of the faith coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his teammates have in the third-year guard.
“We let him know how much we value him and how much we were going to pour into him, and that’s all he needed,” Bickerstaff said.
“He just needed a group of coaches and a front office who believed in him, stand behind him and have his back. We just wanted to pour into him, show him some love and let his talents take it from there.”
Beasley could have taken a contested step-back 3-pointer.
At the time, the veteran guard was the primary reason the Pistons had a chance to steal a victory, given that he made three consecutive 3-point field goals in the final two and a half minutes.
However, instead of calling his number, Beasley passed up his shot to find Ivey in the corner, who was having a subpar offensive performance. He finished the game with 19 points on 7-of- 13 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from behind the arc.
However, Ivey entered the final period, shooting 4-of-10 overall and 2-of-6 on 3-point attempts.
“He wasn’t having his best shooting night, but he knows how much work he has put in,” Bickerstaff said. “His teammates know and trust in him. We could have taken a tougher contested one. But we saw him in the corner and made the play to him.
He knocked it down. He then had the confidence to knock down the free throw to help us win the game.”
Although he isn’t on the verge of an All-Star appearance like backcourt mate Cade Cunningham, this season is shaping up to be a career year for Ivey. Through 28 games, the former lottery pick is averaging career highs across the board with 17.5 points on 38.6% 3-point shooting, 4.1 assists and 1.0 steals.winwin Ivey’s production has improved significantly since his erratic sophomore season.
Last year, former coach Monty Williams had Ivey play several inconsistent roles, which caused the second-year guard to regress in confidence and development.
Through the first 22 games of the 2023-24 season, Ivey started the year by playing 16 games as a reserve.
But once Bickerstaff inherited the team following Williams’ jettison, restoring Ivey’s confidence was near the top of his objectives.
He welcomed Ivey’s playing style and implemented a system that suited his talents regarding his speed and dynamic technique.
“He works his tail off,” Bickerstaff said. “He is a constant professional when you talk about studying film and working on his game.
… These relationships never stop. Every single day, we work and have conversations, not just about the game of basketball but about life, as well. Letting our players know that we are interested in them as human beings, and we are not just here being co-workers.”
The Pistons defeated the Kings to win their 14th game of the season, matching their win total from last year. Ivey has been essential to the team’s success. Although he has taken the helm as the team’s secondary scorer and playmaker, he has developed into the Pistons’ primary go-to option down the stretch.
Ivey’s performance against the Kings marked the second time this season that he had a massive impact on Detroit when the game was on the line. On Nov. 25, he drilled a game-winning layup as time expired to give the Pistons a 102-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
The Pistons, as a whole, have gone through a resurgence in the first 31 games.
The franchise’s revitalization coincides with Ivey’s personal revival, showcasing the talents that made him an intriguing option for Beasley to trust as time expired in Sacramento.
“He is a great player,” Beasley said. “He has the ability to be an All-Star. To play with two All-Stars on the court is always huge, especially in the backcourt. I just feel good playing with him…This was a huge win for us.”