Most Points Scored in an NBA Game (player)

(last updated on October 15, 2025)

There are certain records in American sports that seem to be untouchable and have reached mythical proportions. In baseball, you have DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak and Bonds’s 762 career homers. In football, you have Tom Brady’s seven Super Bowl Rings and Emmitt Smith’s 18,355 career rushing yards. In basketball, you have LeBron James’s 42,000+ career points and Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game. These are iconic figures with mystical numbers.

That last record of Wilt’s has a surreal and this-will-never-be-broken feeling. In NBA history, only 10 players have ever scored as much as 70 points in a single game. The aforementioned Big Dipper actually registered 70 points or more six times in his exalted career. This list will look at the top single-game scoring performances in NBA history as of the moment, limiting it to just one game from each player on the list (otherwise the list would have four more Wilt games!).

You might be shocked to hear a semi-famous #23 won’t be on this list as he never hit 70 in a game. Of course, with some of the fiery scorers in today’s game, there could be five more entries to this club in the coming season: the most points scored in an NBA game.

Elgin Baylor (71 points – November 15, 1960)

This NBA luminary registered his greatest scoring performance ever in his second season. Elgin Baylor was taken by the Minneapolis Lakers (moved to LA in 1960) with the top pick overall in the 1958 NBA Draft. On November 15, 1960, he poured in 71 points against the New York Knicks in a 123-108 victory at Madison Square Garden. In 45 minutes that night, Baylor was 28-48 from the field and 15-19 from the line. He also added 25 rebounds for fun. There aren’t many 70-25 stat lines in league history. Doing this prior to the three-point shot and shot clock, makes this scoring explosion even more impressive. As Elgin’s Hall of Fame recognition and 27.4 career ppg prove, this special night wasn’t some one-hit wonder. Elgin Baylor was one of the league’s greatest scorers ever, and this monumental display ranks as one of the highest-scoring NBA games ever for a player.

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David Robinson (71 points – April 24, 1994)

David Robinson’s best single-game scoring effort helped him clinch the scoring title for the 1993-1994 season. Heading into that game versus the LA Clippers on April 24, 1994, the Admiral and Shaquille O’Neal were in a dead heat for the scoring lead. Shaq had 32 points earlier in the evening, so the Admiral needed 33 to win it. He over-delivered by about 40 … 71. He was 26-41 from the field and added 18 points from the charity stripe. This lefty center, not known for his long-distance range, even buried a three pointer that night. This Chamberlain-esque game shot the Admiral to 29.8 ppg, ahead of O’Neals 29.3 ppg. At the time, he became just the fourth player ever to score 70 points in a game. David Robinson has the championships, the Dream Team, an MVP, the Hall of Fame, and he has one of the top-scoring games in NBA history.

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Donovan Mitchell (71 points – January 2, 2023)

In the 2022-23 season, the NBA had two 71-point outbursts. The first was on January 2, 2023 by Donovan Mitchell. In his first year as a Cleveland Cavalier, this bouncy guard made an early statement to his new city. Donovan was 22-34 from the field total and 7-15 from three-point distance; he also added 20 free throws. With 11 rebounds and eight assists on the stat sheet too, he narrowly missed a triple-double. This monster effort helped the Cavs to an overtime win over the Chicago Bulls in a high-octane 145-134 game. His first year in Cleveland was a resounding success as he took the scoring momentum from this 71-spot game into the following month’s All-Star Game when he dropped 40. Spider led the Cavs back to the playoffs and was named All-NBA Second Team for the ‘22-’23 season. Donovan Mitchell has had a phenomenal start to his career, and that 71-point performance ranks in the top 10 for single-game scoring performances in NBA history.

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Damion Lillard (71 points – February 26, 2023)

The other 71-point game from the ‘22-’23 NBA season belongs to Damian Lillard. Big Game Dame had his biggest scoring game on February 26, 2023 against the Houston Rockets. That season was Lillard’s final campaign in his first go-round as a Portland Trailblazer, and the nine-time All-Star gave the home fans a treat on this night. His 71 points broke down like this … 22 of 38 from the field, 13 of 22 from three, and 14 of 14 from the line. This was all done in 39 minutes of game time as Rip City enjoyed a comfortable win. Dame has been a prolific scorer for years, so this outing wasn’t a shock. In fact, his 15 career 50-point games are already sixth on the all-time list. This Weber State Wildcat even has two 50-pieces in the playoffs. Damian Lillard has been one of the NBA’s most clutch performers since entering the league, and his 71-point game is one of the highest-scoring games ever in the NBA.

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David Thompson (73 points – April 9, 1978)

David Thompson may be most remembered for his historic duel with Julius Erving at the 1976 ABA Dunk Contest, but this rim rocker from North Carolina State could fill it up as well. On April 9, 1978, Skywalker deposited 73 points as a member of the Denver Nuggets. This epic night came in a losing effort to the Detroit Pistons, 139-137. Thompson was 28-38 from the field and 17-20 from the free-throw stripe. Remember, unlike others on this list, Thompson got no benefit from the three-point line in 1978; that appeared in the ‘79-’80 season. In addition to a bevy of highlight-reel slams, Skywalker is an NBA Hall of Famer and was a five-time All-Star. He never averaged less than 21.5 ppg in his first six seasons (one season in the ABA before the merger). David Thompson may not be the most famous player of all time, but his greatness is undeniable, and he sits high on the list of most points scored in an NBA game.

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Luka Doncic (73 points – January 26, 2024)

It is hard to believe all Luka Doncic has already accomplished in the NBA at the young age of 26. On January 26, 2024, this do-it-all player had one of the highest-scoring NBA games in history. Luka scored 73 points as his Dallas Mavericks defeated the Atlanta Hawks 148-143. He was 25 of 33 from the field, 8 of 13 from deep, and 15 of 16 from the line; he also added 10 boards and seven assists. In the 2023-2024 season, Doncic led the league in scoring with 33.9 ppg. When you combine that with 9.2 rpg and 9.8 apg last year, you see why this Slovenian prodigy is one of the NBA’s brightest stars. Don’t forget his rapidly escalating 82 career triple-doubles. With seven 50-point games in his career, he has already cracked the top 20 all time. Now paired with LeBron in LA, this assassin may be gunning for this list again. For good reason, Luka Doncic is one of the faces of the current NBA, and his 73-point show ranks near the top for most points scored in an NBA game.

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Kobe Bryant (81 points – January 22, 2006)

Now we truly get into mythical territory. On January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points for the LA Lakers in a win over the Toronto Raptors. This still sits as the second-most points scored in an NBA game. There are many noteworthy tidbits about this historic night, but here are two that stand out: the Lakers were down by 18 in the third quarter, and then the Mamba scored 55 second-half points. His team desperately needed this scoring outburst to win the game. Although Kobe wasn’t always the most efficient shooter in his career, he was on this night: 28-46 from the field (60.9 %), 7-13 from three (53.8%), and 18-20 from the free-throw line (90%). Behind only his Airness and the next person on this list, Bryant is third all time with 25 50-point games in his career. His resume looks pretty strong: Hall of Fame, MVP, five-time NBA champ, 18-time All-Star, twice a scoring champ, etc. This man even won an Oscar in 2018! The legend Kobe Bryant had one of the all-time scoring performances with his 81-point gem in 2006, and that qualifies for the second-most points in NBA history for a single game.

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Wilt Chamberlain (100 points – March 2, 1962)

With all due respect to the others on this list, this NBA icon had six career games of 70 points, but we are only going to focus on the one with the NBA single-game scoring record: 100. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a victory over the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. Interestingly, this game was played in neither Philadelphia nor New York; it was played in Hershey, Pennsylvania to help promote the league in different cities. Believe it or not, there isn’t any video footage of this monumental event … just that famous pic of Wilt holding a piece of paper with 100 written on it. Obviously, the 100-point effort is one of the magical numbers in all of sports. Wilt did that by playing all 48 minutes of the game, which he did regularly. He was 36 for 63 from the field and 28 for 32 from the line. The Big Dipper was a career 51% foul shooter, but he went for 87.5% on this epic night. For good measure, he collected 25 rebounds … your ordinary 100 and 25 stat line. In that ‘61-’62 season, Chamberlain averaged 50.4 ppg and 25.7 rpg … the former is the best all time and the latter is third all time behind other seasons of Wilt’s. I guess it’s worth mentioning that he had 118 games of at least 50 points in his career; MJ is second with 31. Wilt Chamberlain resides in very rare hallowed ground in basketball history, so it is very fitting that he holds the record for most points scored in an NBA game.

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This entry was posted on Friday, March 29th, 2024 at 3:24 pm and is filed under Top 10 Lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.