How Many NBA Players Have Scored 70 Points?
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How many NBA players have scored 70 points in a game? The answer may surprise you. Check out this blog post to find out.
Wilt Chamberlain
Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history to score 100 points in a single game. He did it in 1962 against the New York Knicks. He also holds the record for most points in a single season, averaging 50.4 points per game in 1961-62.
100-point game
In basketball, a 100-point game is a game in which a single player scores 100 points or more. Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant are the only two players to score 100 points in an NBA game. Chamberlain did it twice, scoring exactly 100 points in 1962 and 101 points in 1960; both games were against the New York Knicks. In 1961–62, Chamberlain’s Warriors also beat the Knicks by scores of 169–147 and 155–133, games in which he scored 58 and 59 points, respectively.
Scored 70 or more points 32 times
In the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), there have been only 32 occasions where a player has scored at least 70 points in a game. Wilt Chamberlain holds the single-game scoring record, having scored 100 points on March 2, 1962 while playing for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks. Kobe Bryant scored 81 points on January 22, 2006 against the Toronto Raptors, both players accomplished this feat while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe is also second on this list, having scored 80 points on December 20, 2005 while playing Memphis Grizzlies. Karl Malone is third, having scored 78 points on December 20, 1993 while playing with the Utah Jazz against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Elgin Baylor holds the record for most 70-point games in a season, accomplishing it four times; he did it three times in 1961–62 and once in 1960–61. Wilt Chamberlain did it twice in 1961–62 and once in 1962–63. Rick Barry did it twice in 1966–67 and Michael Jordan did it twice in 1986–87.
The Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors franchise has seen six different players score 70 or more points; aside from Chamberlain’s historic 100-point game, Tom Meschery accomplished it once scoring 74 points on February 10, 1961 against the Detroit Pistons while Nate Thurmond did it three times with his best game coming when he scored 73 points on November 3 1967 against rival Los Angeles Lakers. Chris Webber became the most recent Warrior to achieve this when he scored 71 points on December 5 2001 also against Detriot.
The Golden State Warriors have not had a player score 70 or more points since joining the NBA from San Francisco;However prior to that their last occurrence was when Nate Thurmond accomplished this feat as a member of San Francisco Warriors.
Kobe Bryant
On January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second-most points scored in an NBA game. Bryant’s feat is made even more impressive when considering that he needed only 46 shots to get his 81 points, and he only played 42 minutes.
81-point game
On January 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors, Kobe Bryant scored a then-record-setting 81 points, the second-most in a single game in NBA history, second to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962. He made 28 of 46 field goals and 18 of 20 free throws.
Scored 70 or more points six times
In the 2006–07 season, Bryant had six games in which he scored 70 or more points, the second most such games in a single season in NBA history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 1961–62 season where he scored 70 or more points seven times. All six of Bryant’s performances occurred within a 33-game span from December 20, 2006 to February 16, 2007.
Michael Jordan
On March 28, 1990, Michael Jordan scored 69 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers, becoming only the second player in NBA history to score 60 or more points in consecutive games. Two nights later, he would score a then-record 70 points against the New Jersey Nets.
69-point game
On April 20, 1986, in his 59th NBA game, Michael Jordan scored 69 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He started the game off hot, making his first six field goal attempts and scoring 16 points in the first quarter. He scored 23 points in the second quarter, 19 in the third, and 11 in the fourth. His 69 points were a then-career-high and an opponent record for the Cavaliers. The 69-point performance was also just six points shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s single-game rookie record of 75 points.
Scored 70 or more points four times
Michael Jordan is the only player in NBA history to score 70 or more points in a game on four separate occasions. He accomplished the feat against the Portland Trail Blazers twice, the Cleveland Cavaliers once, and the Los Angeles Lakers once. The first time he did it was on November 20, 1984, when he scored 71 points against the Blazers.
Elgin Baylor
In his third season with the Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers, Elgin Baylor set a single-game scoring record that still stands today. It was on November 15, 1960, when Baylor poured in 71 points against the New York Knicks, besting the previous record of 69 set by Chamberlain a month earlier.
71-point game
On November 15, 1960, Baylor set the NBA single-game scoring record by scoring 71 points against the New York Knicks. He surpassed Elvin Hayes’ previous record of 69 points set just four nights earlier against the Los Angeles Lakers. Baylor’s 71-point game occurred during a 126–115 victory at Madison Square Garden and is one of only six acknowledged instances in which an NBA player has scored at least 70 points in a game. Skoel tried to stop the scoring by fouling Baylor, who made 19 of 22 free throws in the fourth quarter.
Scored 70 or more points once
Elgin Baylor (born September 16, 1934) is an American retired basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a small forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers, appearing in eight NBA Finals. Baylor was a gifted shooter, strong rebounder, and an accomplished passer. Renowned for his acrobatic driving layups and slam dunks, he was a ten-time NBA All-Star and elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977.
In 1977–78, Baylor was named the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Player. Baylor’s 22,806 career points scored rank him 31st in NBA history; his 3,563 career rebounds place him 16th all time; and his 4,149 total assists are 26th in NBA history. He has also been inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player and is one of only four players with that distinction (joining John Wooden, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West).
David Thompson
In the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), only one player has scored more than 70 points in a single game. That player is David Thompson, who scored 73 points for the Denver Nuggets against the Detroit Pistons on April 9, 1978.
73-point game
On April 11, 2006, Kobe Bryant set the Lakers franchise record and career-high with 62 points against the Dallas Mavericks. It was the most points scored in a game by any player since Michael Jordan’s 69-point performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 28, 1990. The following season, on December 20, 2006, Bryant scored 60 points against the Memphis Grizzlies.
On January 22, 2007, in his 10th season, Kobe became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points. He accomplished this feat in 1,064 games—eight games fewer than it took Jordan—and by scoring 28 points against the Houston Rockets. In that same game, he also set Lakers franchise records for most free throws made in a career (6,156) and most field goals made in a career (8,381).
On March 16, 2007—in a 131–92 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves—Bryant scored 61 points to pass Chamberlain as the Lakers’ all-time leading scorer with 9+32=41 seasons played for the team. Chamberlain had spent his entire NBA career with the Lakers (1959–73). Additionally, with that performance Bryant became only the fifth player in NBA history to score at least 60 points while also dishing out 10+ assists; joining Jordan (twice), Rick Barry and Elgin Baylor.
With his 61-point effort against Minnesota, Bryant surpassed Jerry West as the Lakers’ all-time leading scorer in regular season games. West had 36 years with the team (1960–74) while Bryant accomplished this milestone in just 9+ seasons. On April 2nd of that same year against Denver Nuggets he scored 63 points which is second most points behind his own 82 point game.
Two months after setting the franchise scoring record and two weeks after becoming their all-time leader in regular season games played, Bryant led Los Angeles past Chamberlain’s single game scoring record with a 65-point outburst on April 15th against Portland Trail Blazers.
Scored 70 or more points once
David Thompson is one of only four players in NBA history to score 70 or more points in a game. The other three are Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, and Devin Booker. Thompson’s 70-point performance came on April 9, 1978, in a game against the Detroit Pistons.