Scoring 70 points in a single game is an almost unfathomable achievement, which is why only 7 NBA stars have ever accomplished this feat.
Scoring 50 points in a professional NBA game is unbelievable, let alone scoring 70 points. Devin Booker was the most recent player to have an all-time great scoring performance after dropping 70 points in a loss against the Toronto Raptors in 2017, until Donovan Mitchell added his place in history on January 2, 2023, with a 71-point performance against the Chicago Bulls. Mitchell was sensational, going off and dropping his career-high in his first season with the franchise, but where does Mitchell’s performance rank among the greatest ever performances throughout history?
Most of the names that scored 70 points will be easily recognizable because they are regarded as some of the greatest offensive players to ever play basketball. Of course, it is obvious that Wilt Chamberlain, the most dominant physical specimen in NBA history, will occupy the top tier thanks to his unbelievable performance on March 2, 1962, at Hershey Sports Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania. By taking into account the game’s greatest scorers who have scored at least 70 points in a single game, here are the only performances in NBA history that yielded that spectacular box score total according to their timelines.
Elgin Baylor – 71 Points
Stats: 71 Points, 28-48 FG, 15-19 FT, 45 Minutes
Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks 123-108 (November 15, 1960)
One of the finest players to never win an NBA championship, Elgin Baylor was a brilliant scorer and a force on offense who is regarded and appreciated by his fellow competitors. In a rout of the Knicks in 1960, Baylor scored 71 points, accomplishing this mark in just his third NBA season. In a significant victory, Baylor grabbed 25 rebounds in addition to making 28 of its 48 field goals.
Baylor averaged 29.6 points per game throughout the season, and his 71-point performance helped him reach that mark. On November 15, 1960, Baylor made his skills known to the world as he produced the most points of his career in a single outing. Of course, Elgin is regarded as one of the all-time greats, and his 70-point performance was the first in NBA history.
Wilt Chamberlain – 78 Points
Stats: 78 Points, 31-62 FG, 16-31 FT, 63 Minutes
Philadelphia Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers 147-151 (December 8, 1961)
Wilt Chamberlain will be included on this list once more, having dropped an incredible 78 points in 1961. In the triple-overtime contest, Chamberlain played 63 minutes and connected on 31-62 of his field goals. Despite shooting 16-31 from the line, Chamberlain was at his terrible free-throw best and still managed to finish with 78 points.
Not only that, but Wilt also managed to grab 43 rebounds throughout the contest. Wilt had little trouble leading the offense, and his 78 points in one game rank third all-time in the NBA. Interestingly, despite Chamberlain doing everything in his ability to lead his team, the Warriors were unable to overcome the Lakers in triple overtime.
Wilt Chamberlain – 73 Points
Stats: 73 Points, 29-48 FG, 15-25 FT, 48 Minutes
Philadelphia Warriors vs. Chicago Packers 135-117 (January 13, 1962)
In the same season when the big man posted 72 points in another outing, Wilt scored 73 points in a terrific performance against the Chicago Packers. Going 29-of-48 from the field (60.4%), Wilt Chamberlain controlled the game with his 73 points and 36 rebounds in a 135-117 victory. Despite employing a high usage rate by putting up those kinds of numbers by playing every minute of the game, the superstar center interestingly went out and scored 62 points the very next night against Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics.
Wilt Chamberlain was on a tear all season long, as he was the first player ever to record back-to-back games of at least 50 points. Wilt dropped 73 points at the start of the New Year, making 29-48 field goals and also 15-25 free throws. Wilt won this game for his team, 135-117, and he still wasn’t done in 1962. Wilt manages to usurp this performance with another one just a few months later.
Wilt Chamberlain – 100 Points
Stats: 100 Points, 36-63 FG, 28-32 FT, 48 Minutes
Philadelphia Warriors vs. New York Knicks 169-147 (March 2, 1962)
Because he was the lone most dominant superstar in NBA history, Wilt Chamberlain’s name may be found on most records. The late Hall of Famer was the most physically imposing player during his time on the field, obliterating opponents with his size, strength, and length. Regardless of how little footage we may have from the 1960s, it is evident how distinctive Wilt was due to his stature and athleticism in the paint.
Thanks to Wilt’s 100-point performance and other offensive explosions during the 1962 season, the big man finished with a season average of 50.4 PPG, which is still the highest in NBA history. It is likely we will never see another player score 100 points in a single game because the type of athletes in today’s game are undeniably talented and will match each other in terms of size and length.
Wilt Chamberlain – 72 Points
Stats: 72 Points, 29-48 FG, 14-18 FT, 48 Minutes
San Francisco Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers 115-127 (November 3, 1962)
Early in Chamberlain’s career, dominating scoring displays were the norm. Despite the Hall of Fame center averaging 44.8 PPG, the 1962–1963 Warriors finished the season just 31–49. Even though Wilt was losing games, managing four different games with at least 70 points scored in a season is an amazing accomplishment, and that is why the center has 6 of the 11 70-point outings in NBA history. Now, back to the scoring.
The Big Dipper appears on this list again, as he dropped 72 points during the 1962 season on November 3, 1962, in a showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers. The center went 29-48 from the field and 14-18 from the free-throw line, taking over the contest that resulted in Chamberlain’s San Francisco Warriors losing to the Lakers 127-115. The Lakers managed to outscore Wilt with two players, as Jerry West and Elgin Baylor combined for 79 points to lift their side over a dominant Warriors offense.
Wilt Chamberlain – 73 Points
Stats: 73 Points, 29-43 FG, 15-19 FT, 48 Minutes
San Francisco Warriors at New York Knicks 127-111 (November 16, 1962)
On November 16, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain put up another career-high 73 points in a monster effort. Amazingly, Wilt Chamberlain now holds two of the three 70-point games against the New York Knicks, including the 78-point game and the 73-point game. In the same season that Wilt averaged 50.4 PPG by the end of the campaign, Chamberlain single-handedly destroyed the Knicks’ defense.
Chamberlain finished 29-of-43 from the field, which is good for 67.4%, and even went 15-of-19 from the line (78.9%), a good mark considering his success rate on free throws for the year was only 59.3%. The Knicks were not a great team during the year, a reason why Wilt’s 73-point game is not mentioned among the best performance of all time despite the fact it ranks 4th all-time in most points scored in a single game by a player.
Wilt Chamberlain – 70 Points
Stats: 70 Points, 27-38 FG, 16-22 FT, 48 Minutes
San Francisco Warriors at Syracuse Nationals 148-163 (March 10, 1963)
After being selected No. 3 overall in the 1959 NBA Draft, Chamberlain, who stood 7’1″ and weighed 275 lbs, made an immediate impact on the league. The illustrious center scored at least 70 points six times, and his 70-point performance on March 10, 1963, is one of them. Of course, Wilt had an incredible scoring average of 44.8 points per game and a field goal percentage of 52.8% for the entire season.
Yet another scoring achievement for Wilt Chamberlain, as the big man posted 70 points on 27-38 shooting from the field in his 4th season. The Big Dipper was absolutely dominant, posting monster numbers from the field and consistently owning the paint against any defender. Wilt will appear in other Tiers, an indication of how dominant the center was during the first few seasons of his career.
David Thompson – 73 Points
Stats: 73 Points, 28-38 FG, 17-20 FT, 43 Minutes
Denver Nuggets vs. Detroit Pistons 137-139 (April 9, 1978)
The NBA scoring crown was up for grabs before the final game of the 1977–1978 season between David Thompson and George Gervin. San Antonio Spurs top scorer George Gervin was definitely going to go off from the field to win his first scoring championship, but Thompson needed a huge game to overtake him. In response, Thompson scored 32 points in the first period and continued his recent hot shooting in the second.
Thompson finished the game with 73 points, a record for guards at the time. The superstar player for the Denver Nuggets nailed 73.7% of his shots, despite being double and triple-teamed throughout the game. It was simply one of those games where a player couldn’t miss, and his 73-point performance was still not enough to win the scoring title as George Gervin scored 63 later that night, winning the title by just four points. Classic case of a player winning the battle but not the war.
David Robinson – 71 Points
Stats: 71 Points, 26-41 FG, 18-25 FT, 44 Minutes
San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers 112-97 (April 24, 1994)
David Robinson is widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive bigs of his era, but he was a superstar on the offensive end, dropping 71 points in an NBA game on April 24, 1994, against the Los Angeles Clippers while going 26-41 from the field and 18-25 from the free-throw line. Robinson, standing 7’1” and weighing 235 lbs with a well-built physique, found it incredibly easy to score around the rim and generate points easily.
The Admiral, who averaged 29.8 PPG on 50.7% field goal shooting and had a 71-point game in 1994, won the scoring title that year. Despite the Clippers’ defense being set up to stop him, the great center still managed to shatter the franchise record for points scored in a single game by the Spurs. Robinson is currently the third most recent player to drop at least 70 points in a single NBA contest.
Kobe Bryant – 81 Points
Stats: 81 Points, 28-46 FG, 18-20 FT, 42 Minutes
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Toronto Raptors 122-104 (January 22, 2006)
Kobe Bryant has the record for the second-highest scoring output in the history of the NBA, scoring 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. Despite getting double and triple-teamed, the man who would soon become The Black Mamba went 28-46 from the field, including 7-13 from three and 18-20 from the free-throw line. The Los Angeles Lakers were struggling in the encounter with the Raptors squad led by Chris Bosh, and Bryant’s offense was needed as they were on their way to losing the contest.
Basically a one-man show, Kobe Bryant knew he had to literally do everything on the court for his side to have a chance at beating any team. With the likes of decent but unspectacular sidekicks in the forms of Smush Parker and Kwame Brown in the starting lineup, Bryant had to turn it up to full throttle. That’s what he did against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, and that performance is still the second-highest output in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point explosion. For a perimeter guard, that is simply extraordinary.
Devin Booker – 70 Points
Stats: 70 Points, 21-40 FG, 24-26 FT, 45 Minutes
Phoenix Suns at Boston Celtics 120-130 (March 24, 2017)
At only 20 years old, Devin Booker shocked the NBA world when he went off for 70 points on 21-40 shooting in a 130-120 loss on March 24, 2017. The perimeter player did not have much say in the result of the outcome, but coming out with one of the greatest offensive explosions ever will forever be on his resume. Even if his side was going to lose, Booker stayed in the game to keep padding his points and trying to cut the lead.
Currently, Devin Booker is still only 26 years old and has plenty of time to possibly have another 70-point outing in him. While he might never break the 70-point mark again, his performance will go down in the history books because nobody could have ever imagined that a 13th overall pick out of the 2015 NBA Draft would go on to drop 70 points on over 50% shooting at only 20 years old.
Donovan Mitchell – 71 Points
Stats: 71 Points, 22-34 FG, 20-25 FT, 50 Minutes
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls 145-134, January 2, 2023
The most recent inclusion into the 70-point list is Donovan Mitchell, who started the New Year of 2023 with a spectacular 71-point performance. Mitchell was simply unconscious from the court, going 22-34 from the field, including 7-15 from three, and also going 20-25 from the free-throw line. His clutch performance caused the game to go into overtime, and he eventually led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Mitchell’s 71-point game means that he became the 7th player in NBA history to ever score at least 70 points in a single outing. Amazingly, Mitchell usurped LeBron James’ career record for most points scored in a Cavaliers jersey (57 points) in only his first season with the franchise after getting traded by the Utah Jazz before this season. Donovan is only 26 years old, so he might somehow get another career performance in him as he looks to build a new legacy in Cleveland.
Source: fadeawayworld
