Who Has the Most Points in an NBA Playoff Game?
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We all know that the NBA playoffs are the most intense and competitive time of the year. But who has the most points in an NBA playoff game? We did a little research and found out the answer.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is the clear leader when it comes to points scored in an NBA playoff game. He has a career total of 5,987 points, which is nearly 2,000 points more than the second-highest scorer, LeBron James. Jordan’s highest scoring game came in 1993 when he drop 63 points on the Celtics.
63 points against the Celtics in 1986
Michael Jordan’s most points in a playoff game is 63. He scored this against the Celtics in 1986.
61 points against the Pistons in 1988
In the 1988 Eastern Conference Finals, the Chicago Bulls were trailing the Detroit Pistons 2-1 in the best of seven series. The Pistons were the defending champions and had beaten Jordan and the Bulls in the playoffs the previous two years. In game four, with the score tied at 103 in the overtime period, Jordan scored six of his team’s last eight points to give the Bulls a 109-103 victory and a 2-2 tie in the series. He finished the game with 61 points, one point shy of Elgin Baylor’s NBA playoff record set in 1962.
Elgin Baylor
Elgin Baylor, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers, holds the record for the most points scored in an NBA playoff game. He scored 61 points against the Boston Celtics in 1962.
61 points against the Knicks in 1962
In Game 5 of the 1962 NBA Finals, Elgin Baylor set the record for most points scored in an NBA playoff game when he tallied 61 points against the New York Knicks. The Knicks would go on to win the game by a final score of 119-108, but Baylor’s performance was one for the ages.
The Lakers would go on to win the series in seven games, but it was Baylor’s Game 5 effort that would live on in history. Baylor’s 61 points were the most ever scored in an NBA Finals game, and his performance is still remembered as one of the greatest in playoffs history.
Jerry West
On April 15, 1970, Jerry West scored 46 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, leading his team to victory in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. West’s performance that day is still the record for most points scored by a player in an NBA playoff game.
60 points against the Lakers in 1970
In Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals, Jerry West played for the Lakers against the New York Knicks. He set an NBA Finals record with 43 points in the first half, and ended the game with 60 points. It is still the highest scoring performance in an NBA Finals game.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has the most points in an NBA playoff game. He scored Forty-eight points in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1977 NBA Finals. This is the only time a player has scored more than forty points in an NBA playoff game.
55 points against the Nets in 1974
On April 20, 1974, Abdul-Jabbar scored 55 points against the New York Nets in an overtime loss at Madison Square Garden. It was the most points ever scored by a player in an NBA playoff game, a record that stood for almost 30 years until it was broken by Kobe Bryant in 2003. Abdul-Jabbar also had 19 rebounds in the game, which is still the NBA playoff record for most points and rebounds in a game.
