Performance Of The Night: Coby White

Wanna talk about having a performance for the ages? Coby White’s Play-In performance against the Atlanta Hawks was star-blossoming and eye-opening and allowed him to take his team to the next level. Am I exaggerating? Not in the slightest.

Not only did the Chicago Bulls win by 15 points over Dejounte Murray, Trae Young’s team, but Chicago also proved they have the fight in them to make it to the first round of the postseason. While I hate injuries, the only positive from the Bulls suffering so many injuries was seeing the capabilities of White.

Many people did not know what to think of White, if he was a bench player or a very inconsistent starter. However, this season, including tonight, proved he is that guy. Not only did he have a career-high in points (19.1), rebounds (4.5), and assists (5.1), but he didn’t crumble in the postseason.

Some players have an incredible, crowd-awakening regular season but then struggle in the postseason—if their team is lucky enough to make it. For White, who’s only 24 years old, exceeded those expectations.

He dropped a career-high 42 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Plus, he had one of the most efficient games in his career. If not the most efficient game of his short playoff career, for accuracy, this was his fifth playoff game appearance.

White shot 15/21 from the field, that’s 71%. He definitely felt a fire that motivated him to go nuts for the home crowd and against his opponents. To go almost perfect in a do-or-die playoff game is insane. Whoever lost was sent packing, and whoever won faced the Miami Heat on Friday.

The Bulls needed a spark, a game-changer, a game-wrecker, a difference-maker… well, they found it in Coby White. I’m personally very happy for him because I know it’s been a process, a journey, to get to where he is today. Beyond all that, Billy Donovan now sees the fruits of him sticking with White and helping him develop.

What a monumental night for the young talent, as he also made franchise history. White joins Michael Jordan as the only Bulls players to record 40+ points, 5+ assists, and 0 turnovers in any regular or postseason game. This is why he won CourtSideHeat’s POTN Award.

Performance Of The Night: Bradley Beal

What a night for the Phoenix Suns in a game they needed to win desperately; when all seemed lost, Bradley Beal stepped up, hit some clutch shots, and had the game-saving defensive play to end it.

Phoenix took on the Sacramento Kings in the Golden 1 Center and battled through not only what adversity the Kings were giving them but the continuing struggles the Suns have night in and night out. However, all that said for now is that Real Deal Beal showed up and showed out for CourtSideHeat’s POTN Award.

The game-changing playmaker proved tonight why he’s made for career-defining, season-defining, bigger-than-life moments. His stat line was 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block in 34 minutes played. Plus, to top it all off, he went 9/13 (69%) from the field.

Do you wanna talk about a player who is beyond selfless, is the third option on a team rather than first (like he was on the Washington Wizards), is a motivator, and is a game-wrecker? This game proves his significant love for the game of basketball and his commitment to his team in more ways than one.

Bradley Beal’s fourth-quarter moments were huge. First, fans witnessed him hit a huge three to complete the comeback. Second, fans witnessed him steal and score to tie the game late in the game. Lastly, everyone saw him have a game-winning defensive moment against a player like De’Aaron Fox. That’s incredible in its own right.

If it weren’t for his elite play in tonight’s game, Phoenix probably wouldn’t have won this game. He quite literally kept the Suns in the race for sixth place; he may be injured a lot, and he may have to fight through them constantly, but he is one heck of a basketball player. It’s incredible to watch him play basketball.

As a Phoenix Suns fan, I thought Bradley Beal’s performance was beautiful. I can’t wait to see what he does on Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which is also the last day of basketball in our association.

Performance Of The Night: Malachi Flynn

Was anybody expecting Malachi Flynn to be CourtSideHeat’s POTN Award winner? No, if we are all being honest with one another. Did anybody expect my guy to drop 50 points against the Atlanta Hawks? No, not in the slightest.

First of all, I know I’m breaking the rule for this award that the player’s team needs to win the game; however, this performance was historic and may never happen again from a bench guy or Flynn himself. It just needs to be done, don’t care.

I remember when the 25-year-old was in the OG Anunoby trade and then in the Bojan Bogdanovic trade with the Detroit Pistons. The New York Knicks were wielding and dealing like the world was ending.

People really didn’t think about Flynn, mainly because he was a “subpar” bench player who averaged five points a game. It’s understandable why he isn’t mentioned as a threat, but he became a threat today against the Hawks.

In a game where the Hawks needed to win for a Play-In spot, where everyone thought it would be an easy win, there was one man ready to jeopardize their chances of a crucial spot: Malachi (middle name unknown, seriously) Flynn.

The reserve point guard put up 50 points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals. He also went 18/25 (72%) from the field and 5/9 (55%) from deep. What’s even more incredible is that Flynn is the *ONLY* player in NBA history to put up these numbers as a bench player.

Plus, to make this performance even more historic, he’s only the third bench player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game. Since 1970-71, when stats were first beginning to be tracked, only three players have done it. Do you all know how astonishing that is?

The other two men were Jamal Crawford (2019) and Nick Anderson (1993). Flynn tied Anderson with 50 points, while Crawford sits at 51 points. Could you imagine a guy like Flynn passing up the likes of two very well-known and well-respected players? Not many would, but it has been done.

Not only did he do it, he did it at an incredibly efficient rate. The 25-year-old went 72% from the field, 55% from deep, and 75% (9/12) from the line. That is incredibly hard to do, especially when shooting over 20 shots. To be exact, he shot it 25 times.

Monty Williams didn’t check him into the game until the 5:38 mark of the first quarter. What’s even more fascinating is that he’s the tenth guy this season to score 50 points. Plus, this makes you never want to underestimate guys again; he has the lowest scoring average of any player with a 50-point game in the history of the NBA. Flynn averages 5.2 points per game this season.

To recap, he did it efficiently, broke some records, added his name to history, and became a real-life underdog story of the night and for the rest of the week. He broke franchise records and added himself to NBA history.

Fans and experts will say the name “Malachi Flynn” more often now. Detroit fans finally have something positive to talk about for the remainder of the season.