What is the Highest Score in NBA History?
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We all know that the highest score in NBA history is 100 points, but have you ever wondered what the second highest score is? Well, it turns out that the answer is quite a bit lower than 100 points. In fact, the second highest score in NBA history is only 79 points!
Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game
On March 2, 1962, Chamberlain scored an unprecedented 100 points in a 169–147 win over the New York Knicks, a milestone that has yet to be topped. The 7-foot-1 (2.16 m) Chamberlain was named MVP for the 1961–62 season.
Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game
Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game was a National Basketball Association (NBA) game played by Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers on January 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center. Bryant’s 81 points were the second-most in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962. It was the first time in Staples Center’s history that a Lakers player scored more than 80 points in a game.
The performance helped the Lakers to victory and gave them a season-high fourth straight win. With the defeat, Toronto set an NBA record for most points allowed by a team in regulation time during a single season.
Michael Jordan’s 63-point game
In 1986, Michael Jordan set the record for the most points in an NBA game with 63. He accomplished this feat against the Boston Celtics in a regular season game. This record has stood for over 30 years and is unlikely to be broken anytime soon.
Elgin Baylor’s 61-point game
In Elgin Baylor’s second season in the NBA, he set the record for the most points scored in a game with 61. This record was set on November 15, 1960, against the New York Knicks. Baylor’s record would stand for nearly 20 years before it was broken by another Lakers great, Kobe Bryant.
Baylor’s 61 points came on 23-of-34 shooting from the field, and he also added 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the Lakers’ 122-115 victory.
David Thompson’s 73-point game
David Thompson is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 73 points. He scored this record-breaking total in a game against the Detroit Pistons on April 9, 1978. Thompson was a member of the Denver Nuggets at the time, and his record has stood for almost 40 years.
