Bojan Bogdanovic dropped 25 points on the Los Angeles Lakers in the fourth quarter. However, he was a point short of the Detroit Pistons record for most points in a period. WIll Bynum established that back in 2009.
The Pistons have had many big-time scorers in its long history. George Yardley was the first player in the NBA to score 2,000 points in a season back in 1958.
Many other players who knew how to put the ball in the bucket followed: Dave Bing, Bob Lanier, Isiah Thomas, Kelly Tripucka, Grant Hill, Jerry Stackhouse and Blake Griffin (in that one season) all put up big scoring numbers.
So when Bogdanovic went off against the Lakers (drawing their immediate interest in acquiring him), it might have come as a bit of a surprise that the record-holder for most points in a quarter, with 26, was guard Will Bynum (Reggie Jackson went on to tie his mark in 2015).
The franchise record had been shared 24 points in a quarter, shared by Thomas and Stackhouse. Both are big names, but a six-foot backup guard was able to eclipse their record.
Bynum was listed at six-feet tall but that was probably stretching it. He averaged 8.1 points a game in his eight year career and was known for his hustle. He was not a very good outside shooter, making just 27.2 percent of his three-point attempts. Definitely an unlikely candidate to set a franchise scoring mark.
April 5, 2009: A date that will live in Detroit Pistons history with Will Bynum
It was a late-season game against the Charlotte Bobcats and the Pistons needed a win badly. They had lost three games in a row and were in danger of not making the playoffs.
Considering the Pistons had reached at least the Eastern Conference finals the previous five years, not even qualifying for the NBA postseason would have been quit a comedown for new coach Michael Curry.
Bynum was a backup guard and, frankly, glad to have a job in the NBA. He had previous cups of coffee with the Celtics and Warriors before being signed as a free agent with the Pistons in the summer of 2008.
Bynum was coming off a poor game in a loss to the 76ers, so he was an unlikely candidate to become the hero.
While the team had an under .500 record, the fans still were supportive, as the Pistons led the league in attendance, packing The Palace at Auburn Hills. So there were plenty of people in the stands to see history about to be made.
Bynum had just six points in the first three periods, so it was not like he was having a hot night from the floor. The Bobcats held a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter, and then Detroit suffered what appeared to be a fatal blow.
According to Michigan Live, one of the Pistons top scoring threats, Richard Hamilton, was ejected at the end of the third quarter (shocking I know). With Allen Iverson not playing due to injury, it really left Detroit badly needing someone to step on offense.
Enter Will Bynum, scoring machine.
"“He made terrific plays and he did a good job,” Charlotte coach and former Pistons coach Larry Brown said. “They did a good job of putting him in a position to score.”"
Bynum scored the Pistons final 13 points, making all six of his shots in the period and going 14-for-16 from the free throw line. Detroit won the game, 104-97, and went on a three-game winning streak to make the playoffs.
The Pistons got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, but at least they were in the playoffs. It was a lot better than they would do for a while.
A long drought from being in the post-season would begin the following season. It would be seven years before the Pistons would make the playoffs again, and they have only been in the playoffs twice since that season.
Bynum went on to have some big outbursts in his career but nothing like that night. Even with a total of 32 points in the game, he still only averaged 7.1 points on the season.
Bynum went on to have a bit of legal problems after his NBA career, but that one quarter against the Bobcats, that helped launch the Pistons into the playoffs, is still in the record books.