Former Purdue Guard Jaden Ivey Shines for Detroit Pistons in NBA Regular Season Debut
It didn't take long for former Purdue guard Jaden Ivey to find the bottom of the net with the Detroit Pistons. He registered the team's first basket during his NBA regular season debut, a 2-foot layup assisted by teammate Cade Cunningham.
Ivey finished the game with 19 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals to help the Pistons earn a 113-109 victory against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Dynamite Detroit debut 💥 pic.twitter.com/da0yddeTGV
— Purdue On BTN (@PurdueOnBTN) October 20, 2022
"It's just special," Ivey told The Detroit News after the game. "You dream as a kid to play your first NBA game. It's just special that I get to play for Detroit as a kid that grew up watching Detroit."
He shot 8-15 from the floor and hit on a pair of 3-pointers in 32 minutes on the floor. Ivey knocked down his only free-throw attempt of the night, converting the shot from the foul line after putting in a shot off the glass with a foul in the fourth quarter.
Detroit scored 40 points in the second quarter, which was needed to take a narrow 2-point lead into the locker room. But despite a second-half rally by the Magic, the Pistons were able to hand on for a victory and secure their first season-opening win since the 2019 season.
Ivey and the Detroit Pistons will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 21, for a matchup with the New York Knicks. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET inside Madison Square Garden, marking the first of a three-game road trip.
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.