Ranking Highest Points Scored in an NBA Game: Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, and More

The NBA world is full of wonders when it comes to gigantic stats. In some record books, the oldies are dominating the league, while in some areas, the modern-day technicalities of the players have emerged victorious. However, among all of these records, a stat record stands as the most fundamental and trusted parameter. Over the years in the league, various players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James are among the players who have scored buckets in volumes.

That’s why such players play a big role in a team’s development since they keep them in a competitive position. The different ways of scoring have gained popularity during different times of the league. First, it was dunking, then the layups, and in the present times, three-point shooting is becoming a trending way of scoring points. However, the points that were scored mattered in all of the scenarios. So today, let’s tread through the top performances that the NBA players have displayed in a regular season game or playoff game.

Most Points in an NBA Game: Regular Season Records

A number of NBA players have surpassed themselves in terms of scoring in the league. However, only a handful of them can earn the spot on the list of most points scored in an NBA game, according to basketball reference data:

10. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 64 Points

Date: December 13, 2023
Teams: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers.
Score: 1401-26

The Greek Freak scored a franchise-record 64 points to help the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Indiana Pacers by putting up 140-126 on the scoreboard. Giannis Antetokounmpo shot 20 of 28 attempts from the field while grabbing 14 rebounds. Giannis was dominant from the first half as he scored 21 points during the first half and kept the Bucks in the lead against the Pacers.

9. Pete Maravich – 68 Points

Date: February 25, 1977
Teams: New Orleans Jazz vs. New York Knicks
Score: 124–107

Pete Maravich scored 68 points in a game against the New York Knicks, which was his career high on February 25, 1977. This game took place in the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. During that period, it was the highest-scoring game in NBA history for a guard. The Pistol Pete also grabbed 6 rebounds and made 6 assists to bring a 124-107 victory to the New Orleans Jazz squad.

Also Read: Ranking 10 NBA Players With Most Championship Rings

8. Michael Jordan – 69 Points

Date: March 28, 1990
Teams: Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Score: 117–113

His Airness Michael Jordan had the greatest scoring game of his life while playing against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The importance of this scoring knock can be understood by the fact that nobody on the Chicago Bulls squad was able to surpass the 20-point mark that night. Even MJ was struggling with the scoring bit initially.

However, when he was hard-fouled by Hot Rod Williams from the Cleveland Cavaliers, he brought his wrath on the opponents.The six-time champion also had 18 rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Ultimately, the Bulls won the match by a 4-point margin in the end.

7. Devin Booker – 70 Points

Date: March 24, 2017
Teams: Phoenix Suns vs. Boston Celtics
Score: 130–120

Booker was just 20 years old, and it was his second season with the Phoenix Suns when he scored 70 points in a game against the Boston Celtics. At such a young age, his volume scoring has out him in the seventh place on the list of most points scored in an NBA game. He became the sixth player in NBA history to score 70 points in a game. The other players are Wilt Chamberlain, David Robinson, David Thompson, Elgin Baylor, and Kobe Bryant. Notably, he scored the points at TD Garden on Celtics’ homecourt, yet the Suns lost the match, ending the game with 130-120.

6. David Robinson – 71 Points

Date: April 24, 1994
Teams: San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Score: 112–97

1It was the last season game of the 1993-94 season, and David Robinson was in a race against the giant Shaquille O’Neal. Robinson had put up 71 points to clinch the scoring title from Shaq. Notably, Robinson scored 7 points in the final minute of the game. He played 44 minutes on the court, getting 14 rebounds under the rim and making assists. His contribution led the Spurs to a 112-97 victory.

Also Read: 10 NBA Players With Most 3 Pointers In A Game: Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard and More

5. Elgin Baylor – 71 Points

Date: November 15, 1960
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks
Score: 123–108

The 6 foot 5 put an elegant yet fierce offensive performance against the New York Knicks on that night while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. With his athletic build, he tried to baffle the opponents with his athletic fakes. At that time, he was only forward to score more than 65 points in a game when he tallied 71 points. He played 45 minutes of playing time on the court and also made 25 rebounds and made one assist. It was a historic performance during the golden days that was overshadowed by players in the upcoming years.

4. Luka Doncic – 73 Points

Date: January 26, 2024
Teams: Dallas Mavericks vs. Atlanta Hawks
Score: 148-143

Luka Doncic had a scoring spree last season and he torched the Hawks with the bucket fire on that night. With just 2:58 remaining on the clock, Doncic scored 70 points. Later on, he just added to his exemplary achievement in points scoring. It was an exceptional game because Luka was hot on his game and already scored 41 points during the first half of the game. So, there were expectations that he might set a record. Apart from scoring, he also grabbed 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead his team to a 148-143 victory.

3. David Thompson – 73 Points

Date: April 9, 1978
Teams: Denver Nuggets vs. Detroit Pistons
Score: 139–137

Forty-four years to this day, David Thompson’s legendary 73-point spree in the NBA game against the Detroit Pistons is still unbeatable in the league. It was the final game of the regular season for the Denver Nuggets, and Thompson was in the race for the scoring title. Therefore, he went all out with his scoring. He played 43 minutes of basketball on the court and also grabbed seven rebounds along with two assists. He scored points on 28 buckets out of his total 38 attempts from the floor. Unfortunately, the Nuggets fell short of the victory by a two-point margin.

Also Read: Top 10 Games with the Most Overtimes in NBA History

2. Kobe Bryant – 81 Points

Date: January 22, 2006
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Toronto Raptors
Score: 122–104

Kobe Bryant was like an unstoppable trickster on the court with his skills on the night of January 22, 2006. While playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant was facing the Toronto Raptors. Notably, about a month before this game, he had just scored 62 points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks. But he declined to play in the fourth quarter, or his score could have been more than that. Bryant then completed his wish in the Raptors game. The Lakers were trailing by 18 points during the early third quarter.

But Kobe then turned the game with his sharp shooting and quick turns, giving ankle breaks to the Raptors’ defenders. He scored 55 points in the second half that, which included a 23-point streak in the final nine minutes of the game. Black Mamba’s 28 field goals and 7 three-pointers at the Staples Center led the Lakers to a 122–104 comeback victory.

1. Wilt Chamberlain – 100 Points

Date: March 2, 1962
Teams: Philadelphia Warriors vs. New York Knicks
Score: 169–147

It was a historic night when Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. At first, it was more of a winning the game strategy for him since scoring more than 40 points was a usual thing for him. However, when Wilt hit the 41 mark, the Warriors realized that the Goliath could score more if given a chance. So they started giving the ball to Chamberlain, who was already scoring on free throws after getting severely fouled by the Knicks. Soon, he reached the 69-point mark before the start of the fourth quarter. Also, he scored his 100th point with just 46 seconds remaining until the end of the game.

He made 36 field goals and 28 free throws at the Hershey Sports Arena in Pennsylvania. The Warriors eventually got a 169–147 victory. The Dip played all of the 48 minutes, proving why he was a legend despite getting hard-fouled by the opponent team through triple and quadruple teaming of players.

Conclusion

The NBA’s high scores are the seals that prove the players did not just hand over the victory to the opponents. Such high scorers stayed and did their best to try to make their team win or make the opponent team struggle for their victory. Such scorers will keep coming, but the records of some of the golden players are still unbeatable.

Also Read: Top 10 Heaviest NBA Players: Shaquille O’Neal, Nikola Jokic and More