The NBA has seen countless unforgettable moments, but nothing captures the imagination quite like a historic scoring performance. Whether it’s a dominant big man controlling the paint, a sharpshooter catching fire from beyond the arc, or a superstar simply refusing to be stopped, these games leave a lasting mark on basketball history.
From Wilt Chamberlain’s iconic 100-point masterpiece to Kobe Bryant’s electrifying 81-point explosion, the league’s top scoring feats have become legendary. But who else has joined the exclusive club of record-breaking performances? In this article, we dive into the highest-scoring games in NBA history, breaking down the players who turned box scores into works of art.
What Players Have Scored Most Points in an NBA Game?
The most points scored in an NBA game is legendary. Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 100 points on March 2, 1962. The great center led his team to a 169-147 victory in a game that was played at Hershey, Pa. Now that we have gotten done with the formality of addressing a performance that casual fans of the Association know, a time to look at who else is among those with the top 10 most points in NBA history.
The Top Scoring Performances in an NBA Game
Before getting to the second-best performance by a player in an NBA game, we have to address Wilt again. He filled up the top 10 most points in a game in NBA history the way he filled the hoop. Chamberlain scored 78, 73 (twice), 72 and 70 points in games during his Hall of Fame career. Now that we have gotten around his exploits, let’s look at others who dominated the box score in the points column.
The second-best performance was by the late Kobe Bryant. On Jan. 22, 2006, the Lakers star went off on the Raptors, scoring 81 points. Bryant played 42 minutes in the 122-104 win and shot 28-of-46 from the field. He had seven 3-point goals in the eruption.
There were a pair of 73-point efforts, one by a player currently in the league. Luka Doncic was a Dallas Mav on Jan. 26, 2024, when he went for 73. The Mavs downed the Atlanta Hawks 148-143 in that one. The other 73-point game was by David Thompson and it happened April 9, 1978. Despite Thompson’s effort, the Nuggets lost the game to the Detroit Pistons, 139-137.
Ticking down the 70-point rung, four players have gone for 71. Donovan Mitchell of the Cavs scored 71 on Jan. 2, 2023, in a win over the Chicago Bulls. Anyone want to give this an asterisk because Mitchell played 50 minutes, meaning the game went to overtime? Didn’t think so.
Damian Lillard went for 71 the next month as the Blazers beat the Rockets. Long before the current players hit this mark, Elgin Baylor (1960) and David Robinson (1974) also hit 71.
Devin Booker and Joel Embiid joined Chamberlain as a 70-point scorer in one game.
What Is the Most Points in a Single NBA Game?
On December 13, 1983, the Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets lit up the scoreboard to the tune of 370 combined points. The Pistons won, 186-184. Kiki Vandeweghe had 51 points for Denver. The Pistons were led by a trio of players, Isiah Thomas (47), John Long 41, and Kelly Tripucka with 35.
In a 176-175 win for the Kings over the Clippers in 2023, there were a then record-tying 44 3-point shots hit. Malik Monk went for 45 points for the winners while Kawhi Leonard had 44 for the Clips.
How Many Points Did Michael Jordan Average Per Game?
Michael Jordan had multiple careers. He played for the Bulls, retired to minor league baseball, played for the Bulls again and then finished his career with some forgettable years as a Washington Wizard.
In 13 years with the Chicago Bulls, Jordan averaged 31.5 points per game. He led the NBA in scoring 10 times, ranging as high as 37.1 points per game and as low as 28.7 ppg. During his two seasons as a Wizard, he averaged 21.2 points. That was just enough to keep Jordan’s career scoring average over 30 points per game. His Airness wound up at 30.1 points per game on his incomparable career.
What Are the Lowest Points Scored in an NBA Game?
Before the 24-second clock, the lowest-scoring NBA game saw the Fort Wayne Pistons defeat the Minneapolis Lakers, 19-18. The game took place in 1950. To give you an idea of how much the Pistons took the air out of the ball in that game, the next lowest-scoring game of any era saw 83 points scored. That would be 46 points more than the lowest-scoring game in league history. To get a sense of how these scoring feats compare to the collegiate level, you can explore live college basketball odds and see how teams and players perform against expectations.
