List of highest-scoring NBA games

In basketball, points are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making field goals (worth two points from within the three-point line or three points from beyond the three-point line) or free throws (worth one point).[1] The team that records the most points at the end of a game is declared the game's winner. If the game is still tied at the end of regulation play, additional overtime period(s) are played in order to determine the winner.

McNichols Arena in Denver was the site of the highest-scoring game in NBA history.
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix was the site of the highest-scoring playoff game.

Teams only averaged around 80 points per game in the years following the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1946.[2] Before the introduction of the shot clock, teams often ran out the clock by passing the ball more frequently after they established a lead in a game. If one team chose to stall, the other team (especially if behind) would often commit fouls to regain possession. This resulted in very low-scoring games with many fouls, affecting attendance by making fans irritable.[3] Starting in the 1954–55 season, the NBA implemented a 24-second shot clock. If the offensive team fails to hit the rim with the ball within the allotted time, they would lose possession.[4] This innovation resulted in much higher scoring games.[4] All of the highest-scoring games in the NBA have happened during the shot-clock era.

Summary

The highest-scoring regular season game in NBA history is the triple-overtime game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets on December 13, 1983. The two teams combined to score 370 points, with the Pistons defeating the Nuggets 186–184. An NBA-record four players scored over 40 points in the game, including the Nuggets' Kiki Vandeweghe with a game-high 51. The two teams also set several other NBA records, including the most points scored by one team (186 points), the most points scored by a losing team (184), the most field goals by two teams (142), most field goals by one team (74) and most assists by two teams (93).[5][6]

The highest-scoring regular season game in regulation was between the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets on November 2, 1990. In that game, Golden State defeated Denver 162–158. The Warriors' Chris Mullin scored a game-high 38 points. The Nuggets were coached by Doug Moe from 1980 to 1990 and Paul Westhead from 1990 to 1992,[7][8] both of whom employed a run and gun offensive strategy, which focuses on attempting a high number of field goals while also conceding a large number of points on defense.[9][10] In fact, Moe's and Westhead's Nuggets were participants in six of the fourteen highest-scoring regular season games in NBA history. The Warriors were coached by Don Nelson from 1988 to 1995 and 2006 to 2010.[11] He employed Nellie Ball, a style of run and gun that uses smaller, more athletic players to outrun opponents.[12] Another notable high scoring regular season game is a March 2, 1962 game between the Philadelphia Warriors and the New York Knicks. In that game, the Warriors' Wilt Chamberlain scored an NBA-record 100 points.[13]

The highest-scoring playoff game is the double-overtime game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Phoenix Suns on May 11, 1992. The two teams combined to score 304 points, with the Trail Blazers defeating the Suns 153–151. The Suns' Kevin Johnson scored a game-high 35 points, with 12 other players also scoring in double figures. The highest-scoring playoff game in regulation occurred when the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets with a score of 152–133 for a combined score of 285 points on April 26, 1983. In that game, the Spurs' George Gervin scored a game-high 42 points.

Most of the highest-scoring games happened before the 1995–96 season, when the average scoring (points per game) per team was always in the 100s.[2] Until the emergence of 'small ball' in 2013, the average had dropped down to the 90s.[14] Only three post-1995 games make the top-ten lists of both the regular season and playoffs: a May 10, 2003 game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings and a December 7, 2006 game between the Phoenix Suns and New Jersey Nets. Both the Mavericks and the Suns were coached by Nelson and Mike D'Antoni respectively, both of whom also made use of the run and gun style.[15] The 2019 season saw an entry into this list with a 4 overtime game between the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks.

List
Key
OT Overtime (the number indicates the number of overtime periods played.
* Indicates a game that was won by the road team

Highest-scoring regular season games
Rank Total Points Date Location Winning Team Final Score OT Losing Team Notes Ref
1
370
 December 13, 1983 McNichols Arena
Denver, Colorado		 Detroit Pistons* 186–184 3 Denver Nuggets [17]
2
337
 March 6, 1982 HemisFair Arena
San Antonio, Texas		 San Antonio Spurs 171–166 3 Milwaukee Bucks [18]
3 329 March 1, 2019 State Farm Arena
Atlanta, Georgia		 Chicago Bulls* 168–161 4 Atlanta Hawks [19]
4
320
 November 2, 1990 McNichols Arena
Denver, Colorado		 Golden State Warriors* 162–158 — Denver Nuggets [20]
5
318
 January 11, 1984 McNichols Arena
Denver, Colorado		 Denver Nuggets 163–155 — San Antonio Spurs [22]
December 7, 2006 Continental Airlines Arena
East Rutherford, New Jersey		 Phoenix Suns* 161–157 2 New Jersey Nets [23]
7
317
 October 30, 2019 Capital One Arena
Washington, D.C.		 Houston Rockets* 159–158 — Washington Wizards [25]
8
316
 March 2, 1962 Hershey Sports Arena
Hershey, Pennsylvania		 Philadelphia Warriors 169–147 — New York Knicks [26]
March 12, 1970 Cincinnati Gardens
Cincinnati		 Cincinnati Royals 165–151 — San Diego Rockets [27]
November 10, 1990 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Phoenix, Arizona		 Phoenix Suns 173–143 — Denver Nuggets [28]

Highest-scoring playoff games

Below are some of the highest-scoring playoff games. Five of the games happened before the 1979–80 season, the season in which the three-point line was first implemented.

Highest-scoring playoff games
Rank Total
points		 Date Location Winner Result OT Loser Notes Ref.
1
304
 May 11, 1992 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Phoenix, Arizona		 Portland Trail Blazers* 153–151 2 Phoenix Suns [29]
2
285
 April 26, 1983 HemisFair Arena
San Antonio, Texas		 San Antonio Spurs 152–133 — Denver Nuggets [30]
April 28, 1990 Boston Garden
Boston		 Boston Celtics 157–128 — New York Knicks [31]
4
280
 April 23, 1987 Reunion Arena
Dallas		 Dallas Mavericks 151–129 — Seattle SuperSonics [32]
5
279
 April 1, 1967 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena
Oakland, California		 San Francisco Warriors 143–136 — St. Louis Hawks [33]
6
278
 March 25, 1957 Minneapolis Auditorium
Minneapolis		 St. Louis Hawks* 143–135 2 Minneapolis Lakers [34]
May 10, 2003 ARCO Arena
Sacramento, California		 Dallas Mavericks* 141–137 2 Sacramento Kings [35]
8
277
 April 20, 1985 Great Western Forum
Los Angeles		 Los Angeles Lakers 147–130 — Phoenix Suns [36]
May 3, 2019 Moda Center
Portland		 Portland Trail Blazers 140–137 4 Denver Nuggets [37]
10
276
 April 14, 1967 The Spectrum
Philadelphia		 Philadelphia 76ers 141–135 1 San Francisco Warriors [38]
March 30, 1970 The Spectrum
Philadelphia		 Milwaukee Bucks* 156–120 — Philadelphia 76ers [39]
April 27, 2013 United Center
Chicago		 Chicago Bulls 142–134 3 Brooklyn Nets [40]

See also
  •  Sports portal

Notes
  1. It has been the record for 37 years, 55 days.
  2. Others with double-digit point totals were Terry Tyler (18), Bill Laimbeer (17), Vinnie Johnson (12).
  3. Others with double-digit point totals were Mike Evans (16), Richard Anderson (13), Danny Schayes (11).
  4. This was the record from March 6, 1982 to December 13, 1983. It lasted for 1 year, 282 days.
  5. Others with double-digit point totals were Dave Corzine (19), Johnny Moore (16), Mike Bratz (14).
  6. Others with double-digit point totals were Sidney Moncrief (18), Quinn Buckner (18), Marques Johnson (14).
  7. Others with double-digit point totals were Kris Dunn (14), Shaquille Harrison (13), Robin Lopez (11), Ryan Arcidiacono (10).
  8. Trae Young's high-scoring game came under his rookie season.
  9. Others with double-digit point totals were Taurean Prince (17), Kevin Huerter (15), Dewayne Dedmon (14), Vince Carter (13), DeAndre' Bembry (13).
  10. Others with double-digit point totals were Tom Tolbert (18), Rod Higgins (17).
  11. Others with double-digit point totals were Todd Lichti (19), Michael Adams (18), T. R. Dunn (12), Jerome Lane (11), Blair Rasmussen (10).
  12. In the fourth quarter, the Spurs scored 53 points and the Nuggets scored 46 points.[21]
  13. Others with double-digit point totals were Dan Issel (17), Howard Carter (16), Mike Evans (12), Bill Hanzlik (11), Richard Anderson (10).
  14. Others with double-digit point totals were Gene Banks (17), Edgar Jones (17), Artis Gilmore (15), Keith Edmonson (14), Mark McNamara (14).
  15. Kidd recorded 38 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists.
  16. Others with double-digit point totals were Boris Diaw (16), Leandro Barbosa (16).
  17. Others with double-digit point totals were Marcus Williams (18), Mikki Moore (14), Eddie House (12), Nenad Krstić (10).
  18. Westbrook recorded 17 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
  19. Others with double-digit point totals were Westbrook (17), Danuel House (16), Eric Gordon (15), Austin Rivers (11).
  20. Others with double-digit point totals were Isaiah Thomas (17), Troy Brown Jr. (14), Thomas Bryant (13), Moritz Wagner (12).
  21. This was the record from March 2, 1962 to March 6, 1982. It lasted for 20 years, 4 days.
  22. This is Chamberlain's career high. Chamberlain also recorded 25 rebounds.
  23. Others with double-digit point totals were Al Attles (17), Paul Arizin (16), Tom Meschery (16), Guy Rodgers (11).
  24. Others with double-digit point totals were Dave Budd (13), Donnie Butcher (10).
  25. This tied for the record from March 12, 1970 to March 6, 1982. It lasted for 11 years, 359 days.
  26. Other with double-digit point totals was Wally Anderzunas (12).
  27. Others with double-digit point totals were Bingo Smith (16), Stu Lantz (14), Bernie Williams (12), Toby Kimball (11).
  28. In the first half, the Suns scored 107 points and the Nuggets scored 67 points.[21]
  29. Others with double-digit point totals were Mark West (16), Jeff Hornacek (12), Eddie Johnson (12).
  30. Other with double-digit point totals was Anthony Cook (13).
  31. It has been the record for 28 years, 271 days.
  32. Others with double-digit point totals were Clifford Robinson (16), Kevin Duckworth (14), Buck Williams (11).
  33. Others with double-digit point totals were Cedric Ceballos (19), Andrew Lang (13).
  34. This was the record from April 26, 1983 to May 11, 1992. It lasted for 9 years, 15 days.
  35. Others with double-digit point totals were Artis Gilmore (13), Edgar Jones (10).
  36. Others with double-digit point totals were Billy McKinney (13), Danny Schayes (12), Rob Williams (12).
  37. Others with double-digit point totals were Robert Parish (18), Ed Pinckney (16), Larry Bird (15), Dennis Johnson (12), Jim Paxson (11), John Bagley (10).
  38. Others with double-digit point totals were Kiki Vandeweghe (13), Charles Oakley (11), Mark Jackson (11).
  39. Others with double-digit point totals were Rolando Blackman (18), Derek Harper (18), James Donaldson (15), Sam Perkins (12), Detlef Schrempf (10), Brad Davis (10), Bill Wennington (10).
  40. Others with double-digit point totals were Xavier McDaniel (18), Eddie Johnson (14), Kevin Williams (14), Russ Schoene (11).
  41. This was the record from April 1, 1967 to April 26, 1983. It lasted for 16 years, 25 days.
  42. Others with double-digit point totals were Jim King (13), Tom Meschery (13), Fred Hetzel (12).
  43. Others with double-digit point totals were Zelmo Beaty (19), Joe Caldwell (18).
  44. This was the record from March 25, 1957 to April 1, 1967. It lasted for 10 years, 7 days.
  45. Others with double-digit point totals were Ed Macauley (19), Jack McMahon (18), Chuck Share (15).
  46. Others with double-digit point totals were Ed Kalafat (17), Vern Mikkelsen (16).
  47. Other with double-digit point totals was Walt Williams (10).
  48. Others with double-digit point totals were Doug Christie (18), Mike Bibby (16), Bobby Jackson (16), Keon Clark (12), Jim Jackson (11).
  49. Others with double-digit point totals were Magic Johnson (19), James Worthy (15), Michael Cooper (13).
  50. Others with double-digit point totals were Maurice Lucas (13), Charles Pittman (12), Charles Jones (12), Rod Foster (10).
  51. Others with double-digit point totals were Rodney Hood (19), Enes Kanter (18), Maurice Harkless (15).
  52. Others with double-digit point totals were Paul Millsap (17), Gary Harris (13), Malik Beasley (11).
  53. Other with double-digit point totals was Wilt Chamberlain (16).
  54. Others with double-digit point totals were Jeff Mullins (16), Jim King (15), Fred Hetzel (12).
  55. Others with double-digit point totals were Freddie Crawford (18), Bob Dandridge (18), Len Chappell (12), Zaid Abdul-Aziz (11).
  56. Others with double-digit point totals were Fred Hetzel (17), Wali Jones (14), Hal Greer (12), Bud Ogden (12), Matt Guokas (11), Billy Cunningham (10), Jim Washington (10).
  57. Others with double-digit point totals was Kirk Hinrich (18), Jimmy Butler (16), Luol Deng (15), Joakim Noah (15), Taj Gibson (10).
  58. Others with double-digit point totals were Gerald Wallace (17), Reggie Evans (15), Andray Blatche (13).

References
General
  • Farrell, Erin & Gardella, John (2006). Official NBA Guide 2006–07. Sporting News. p. 223. ISBN 9780892048540.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  • "NBA Highest Scoring Games in the Regular Season - Top 50". LandOfBasketball.com. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  • "NBA Highest Scoring Games in the Playoffs - Top 50". LandOfBasketball.com. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
Specific
  1. "Basketball glossary". FIBA.com. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  2. "NBA League Averages". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  3. Goldstein, Richard (December 25, 2004). "In 1954, Shot Clock Revived a Stalled N.B.A." The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  4. "History of the Shot Clock". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive. October 22, 2001. Archived from the original on 2012-01-28. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  5. Maxwell, John. "Highest Scoring Game Ever". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  6. Neel, Eric (December 13, 2005). "The big score". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  7. "Doug Moe". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  8. "Paul Westhead". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  9. Newman, Bruce (November 7, 1988). "This Joker Is Wild". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  10. Berkow, Ira (November 15, 1990). "The Nutty Numbers for The Nuggets". The New York Times. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  11. "Don Nelson". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  12. Jenkins, Lee (May 13, 2007). "Nellie Ball Energizes Warriors and Confounds Opponents". The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  13. Sandomir, Richard (March 1, 2012). "50th Anniversary of a Scoring Feat That's as Much Legend as Record". The New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  14. Bothamley, Dylan; Levin, Max. "Fastbreaks: Back to the Future". 82games.com. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  15. Beck, Howard (May 13, 2008). "Want to Play for D'Antoni? Start Running". The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  16. Johnson, Roy S. (December 13, 1983). "The Great Denver Shootout". The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  17. "Detroit Pistons at Denver Nuggets Box Score, December 13, 1983". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  18. "Milwaukee Bucks at San Antonio Spurs Box Score, March 6, 1982". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  19. "Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks Box Score, March 1, 2019". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  20. "Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets Box Score, November 2, 1990". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  21. "Regular Season Records: Points". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on May 20, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  22. "San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets Box Score, January 11, 1984". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  23. "Phoenix Suns at New Jersey Nets Box Score, December 7, 2006". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  24. Wednesday will be a battle of D.C. vs. Houston sports
  25. "Houston Rockets at Washington Wizards Box Score, October 30, 2019". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  26. "Philadelphia Warriors vs New York Knicks Box Score, March 2, 1962". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  27. "San Diego Rockets at Cincinnati Royals Box Score, March 12, 1970". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  28. "Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns Box Score, November 10, 1990". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  29. "Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns Box Score, May 11, 1992". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  30. "Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs Box Score, April 26, 1983". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  31. "New York Knicks at Boston Celtics Box Score, April 28, 1990". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  32. "Seattle SuperSonics at Dallas Mavericks Box Score, April 23, 1987". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  33. "St. Louis Hawks at San Francisco Warriors Box Score, April 1, 1967". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  34. "St. Louis Hawks at Minneapolis Lakers Box Score, March 25, 1957". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  35. "Dallas Mavericks at Sacramento Kings Box Score, May 10, 2003". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  36. "Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers Box Score, April 20, 1985". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  37. "Denver Nuggets at Portland Trail Blazers Box Score, May 3, 2019". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  38. "San Francisco Warriors at Philadelphia 76ers Box Score, April 14, 1967". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  39. "Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers Box Score, March 30, 1970". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  40. "Brooklyn Nets at Chicago Bulls Box Score, April 27, 2013". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
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