Greatest NBA Scoring Games of All Time

100 PTS / 25 REB / 36-63 FG / 28-32 FT

The only 100-point game in NBA history. No full video exists. The box score reads like a typo. Wilt shot 36-of-63 from the field and 28-of-32 from the free throw line in a man who shot 51% from the stripe for his career. The Knicks fouled intentionally to stop him and it did not work. This game will never be matched because the circumstances that created it no longer exist.

81 PTS / 6 REB / 2 AST / 28-46 FG / 7-13 3PT

The second-highest scoring game in NBA history and the most impressive from a modern basketball standpoint. Kobe shot 28-of-46 from the field, 7-of-13 from three, and 18-of-20 from the line. The Lakers trailed by 18 in the third quarter. He scored 55 points in the second half. He willed his team to a comeback victory with the most sustained offensive explosion the modern NBA has ever seen.

78 PTS / 43 REB / 31-62 FG

78 points AND 43 rebounds. In one game. Against the Lakers. This was three months before the 100-point game, which means Wilt was just casually posting 78-point games as a warmup act. The 43 rebounds in the same game might be the more absurd number.

73 PTS / 10 REB / 7 AST / 25-33 FG / 8-13 3PT

25-of-33 from the field. That is 75.8% shooting on 33 attempts in a 73-point game. Luka did not just score 73 — he scored 73 on the most efficient shooting night in high-volume NBA history. He joined Wilt and Booker in the 70-point club and arguably did it more impressively than either of them. The step-back threes were falling like rain.

73 PTS / 28-38 FG / 17-20 FT

The forgotten 73-point game. Thompson was fighting George Gervin for the scoring title on the last day of the season. He scored 73 in the afternoon game. Gervin found out and dropped 63 that night to win the title anyway. Thompson shot 28-of-38 and was absolutely unconscious. One of the most efficient high-scoring games ever.

73 PTS / 22 REB / 29-48 FG

Wilt's other 73-point game. Against the Knicks, again. With 22 rebounds because that was just a Tuesday for Wilt. Three different players in NBA history have scored 73 points, and Wilt did it twice. He also has the only 78 and the only 100. The man was a statistical anomaly in human form.

72 PTS / 24 REB / 29-48 FG

Another 70+ game for Wilt. Against the Lakers. Again. He had four games of 70 or more points in his career. The rest of NBA history combined has three. Wilt Chamberlain's scoring output in the early 1960s was not basketball — it was a physics experiment.

70 PTS / 8 REB / 6 AST / 21-40 FG / 4-11 3PT

A 20-year-old dropped 70 on the Celtics in Boston. The Suns lost by four points because they were the 2017 Suns and could not stop a park league team. Booker scored 70 in a loss, which somehow makes it more impressive — nobody was feeding him for a record. He was just on fire and could not be stopped.

71 PTS / 25 REB / 28-48 FG / 15-19 FT

71 points and 25 rebounds. In Madison Square Garden. Elgin Baylor was the original above-the-rim player and this was his masterpiece. The Knicks had no answer. Nobody had an answer for Baylor when he was locked in. This record stood for two years until Wilt Chamberlain decided to exist.

71 PTS / 14 REB / 5 BLK / 26-41 FG

Robinson needed 60+ to win the scoring title over Shaq. His teammates fed him relentlessly. The Spurs ran every play through him. He delivered 71 on 26-of-41 shooting with 14 rebounds and 5 blocks because he was David Robinson and could do everything. The Admiral's crowning offensive achievement.

71 PTS / 11 AST / 22-34 FG / 7-15 3PT

The most recent member of the 70-point club. Mitchell shot 22-of-34 from the field in a game the Cavs won in overtime. 71 points with 11 assists. He scored the most points in a game since Kobe's 81 and did it with modern three-point spacing. A masterclass that got overshadowed because Luka dropped 73 three weeks later.

60 PTS / 11 REB / 8 AST / 21-35 FG / 9-14 3PT

The game that inspired this entire section of the website. 60 points on the Heat. 21-of-35 from the field. 9-of-14 from three. 11 rebounds and 8 assists because Luka does not believe in just scoring. He believes in domination. The Heat sent double teams, zones, and prayers. None of it worked.

60 PTS / 21 REB / 10 AST / 21-31 FG / 5-7 3PT

A 60-point triple-double. 60-21-10 is one of the most absurd stat lines in basketball history. Luka did this at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. He shot 21-of-31 from the field — 67.7% on 31 shots. The triple-double came naturally because Luka does not know how to just score without also rebounding and passing.

69 PTS / 18 REB / 6 AST / 23-37 FG / 21-23 FT

Jordan scored 69 points in overtime and added 18 rebounds. He went 21-of-23 from the free throw line because he was Michael Jordan and free throws were automatic. Against Cleveland, because of course it was. MJ owned the Cavaliers like they owed him money.

61 PTS / 18 REB / 21-26 FG / 19-23 FT

The Mailman delivered 61 points on 21-of-26 shooting — that is 80.8% from the field in a 61-point game. Karl Malone was the most efficient power forward scorer in NBA history and this game is the proof. 18 rebounds because Malone also believed in doing everything.

63 PTS / 23-49 FG / 17-20 FT

The Iceman heard that David Thompson scored 73 in the afternoon game and decided to win the scoring title anyway. He dropped 63 that night on 23-of-49 shooting to clinch it. The greatest scoring title race in NBA history, settled on the final day with two performances for the ages.

70 PTS / 18 REB / 5 AST / 23-43 FG / 5-12 3PT

A seven-footer dropped 70 points. Embiid joined the 70-point club and did it with 18 rebounds because he is 7 feet tall and rebounds are easy when you are 7 feet tall and angry. The Spurs had no answer. Nobody has an answer for a motivated Joel Embiid.

61 PTS / 15 AST / 5 REB / 19-30 FG / 6-13 3PT

61 points and 15 assists. Harden was the NBA's most lethal scorer during the isolation era and this was his magnum opus. He shot 19-of-30 from the field — 63.3% — while dishing 15 assists. The step-back three was automatic. The free throws were infinite. Peak Harden.

63 PTS / 5 REB / 6 AST / 22-41 FG / 19-21 FT

The greatest playoff scoring game in NBA history. Jordan dropped 63 on the 1986 Celtics — Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Dennis Johnson — arguably the greatest team ever assembled. Bird said afterward: "That was God disguised as Michael Jordan." The Bulls lost in double overtime. Jordan was 23 years old.

62 PTS / 13 REB / 23-35 FG / 6-11 3PT

Melo's MSG masterpiece. 62 points in Madison Square Garden — the record for that arena until someone inevitably breaks it. Carmelo was the purest scorer of his generation and this was his canvas. 23-of-35 from the field because the jab step was unguardable and the midrange was art.

50 PTS / 7 AST / 11 REB / 17-24 FG / 9-12 3PT

50 points in a playoff game on 17-of-24 shooting. The bubble Murray was a different animal. He and Donovan Mitchell traded 50-point games in one of the greatest playoff series ever. Murray shot 75% from three in this game because the rim was the size of Lake Ontario.

57 PTS / 20-32 FG / 7-7 3PT

Kyrie shot 7-of-7 from three against the Spurs and finished with 57 points on 20-of-32 shooting. When Kyrie Irving is in rhythm, he is the most skilled shotmaker the NBA has ever seen. Handle, footwork, finishing — it all came together for one perfect night in San Antonio.

62 PTS / 10 REB / 20-37 FG / 8-13 3PT

T-Mac scored 62 on the Wizards in a performance that showcased every tool in his arsenal. Threes, midrange, dunks, fadeaways — he had everything. McGrady was one of the most talented players to ever live and this game was the full display. If his body had held up, we would talk about him like we talk about Kobe.

61 PTS / 10 REB / 7 AST / 17-29 FG / 11-20 3PT

Dame dropped 61 on the Warriors with 11 threes because Dame Time has no schedule — it just arrives when it wants to. He shot 17-of-29 from the field and hit pullup threes from 35 feet like they were layups. The logo three is Dame's signature move and he used it to destroy Golden State.

62 PTS / 5 REB / 4 AST / 18-31 FG / 8-16 3PT

Curry's career high. 62 points on 18-of-31 shooting with 8 threes. He outdueled Lillard in a shootout that ended with the greatest shooter of all time reminding everyone why he holds that title. The pull-up threes were falling from 30+ feet. The gravity was warping the defense. Peak Steph.