- Basketball: Damian Lillard scores 71 points in game against Houston Rockets
- NBA: In addition to Lillard, Donovan Mitchell has already scored 71 points in a game this season
- These players from NBA history have scored the most points in a single game
Damian Lillard is the second time an NBA player has scored 71 points this season. Previously, that was Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, whose 71-point run in January was the most efficient 70-point or greater game in NBA history.
This fact can be measured by True Shooting Percentage, a metric that measures the efficiency of the shots fired by a player and also takes into account a player’s performance at the free-throw line. Mitchell scored a 78.9 percent batting average on his historic night.
This historic performance by Mitchell was topped on Sunday night by Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard. So Mitchell maintained his best performance on this metric for just over a month.
Lillard scored 71 points in 39 minutes in Sunday’s win against the Rockets, hitting 13 three-pointers for an 80.4% batting average. He replaced Mitchell as the most efficient 70-plus points player in league history.
Records are made to be broken, and Lillard and Mitchell have set the bar for most points in a game so far this season.
But since Lillard has now also scored 71 points, the question arises. Where does his rush of points rank alongside Mitchell’s on the all-time list? Let’s take a look.
Highest scoring player in a game in NBA history
1. Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) on March 2, 1961: 100 points
The only 100-point game in NBA history is the gold standard and will likely never be reached again. Wilt Chamberlain’s historic 100-point, 25-rebound performance against the New York Knicks included a 36-for-63 shooting percentage (57.1%). He also hit 28 of 32 free throws (87.5%). This is the highest mark and perhaps a record that can never be broken.
2. Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) on January 22, 2006: 81 points
In the modern NBA, there has only been one player who has come close to Chamberlain’s 100-point game: Kobe Bryant. Bryant scored 81 points with a 28/46 firing rate from the field (60.9%). He also hit seven three-pointers and converted 18 of his 20 free throws in the 18-point win over Toronto.
3. Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) on December 8, 1961: 78 points
We should perhaps have mentioned that right at the start, but there will be many games by Chamberlain on this list – a testament to his dominance. Three months before his 100-point game, he set an NBA-record 78 points in a loss to the Lakers. Imagine scoring 78 points and losing!
4. David Thompson (Denver Nuggets) on April 9, 1978: 73 points
In perhaps the most notable achievement of his Hall of Famer career, Thompson scored 73 points and seven rebounds in a 1978 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Thompson was remarkably efficient, hitting 28 of his 38 shot attempts and converting 17 of 20 free throws. No other player on his team scored more than 14 points.
4. Wilt Chamberlain (San Francisco Warriors) on November 16, 1962: 73 points
Chamberlain hit 29 of 43 throws from the field and 15 of 19 from the line, and grabbed 14 rebounds in the 16-point win over the Knicks. It was one of several notable performances by Chamberlain against New York in his long career.
4. Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) on January 13, 1962: 73 points
This performance could have landed even higher on the list if Chamberlain had done better at the foul line. He converted 29 of his 48 throw attempts but only hit 15 of his 25 free throws, which was uncharacteristically bad for him. In the victory over the Chicago Packers, the forerunners of today’s Washington Wizards, he got 36 rebounds.
7. Wilt Chamberlain (San Francisco Warriors) on November 3, 1962: 72 points
Chamberlain had two 70+ point games in 13 days with the Warriors. In that game he scored 72 points. He hit 29 of 48 throws from the field and 14 of 18 from the free throw line. He also grabbed 18 rebounds in the loss to the Lakers.
8. Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers) on February 26, 2023: 71 points
With his 71-point game, which included 13 three-pointers in a win over the Houston Rockets, Lillard sits eighth on the all-time leaderboard. Lillard’s Historic Night is also the most efficient game on this list, with a hit rate of 80.4%. Lillard, 32, is the only player to have scored at least 70 points in an NBA game at age 30 or older.
8. Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers) on January 2, 2023: 71 points
Mitchell hit 22 of 34 throws, seven three-pointers and 20 free throws. The Cavs star also shared 11 assists and grabbed eight rebounds in the 145-134 overtime win over the Bulls.
8. David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs) on April 24, 1994: 71 points
With this win against the Clippers at the end of April, the admiral secured the 1993/94 scoring title. Robinson hit 26 of his 41 throws from the field and 18 of his 25 attempts from the free throw line, and snagged 14 rebounds.
8. Elgin Baylor (Los Angeles Lakers) am 15. November 1960: 71 Punkte
Apparently, if you wanted a historic points game in the 1960s, the recipe was to play the Knicks, who were on this list of opponents in several games. Baylor converted 28 of his 48 throws from the field and 15 of his 19 free throw attempts. He also grabbed 25 rebounds in that win.
12. Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns) on March 24, 2017: 70 points
Booker, one of the top scorers in the NBA today, scored 70 points with a batting average of 21/40 from the field and just 4/11 from threes. However, he hit 24 of his 26 free throw attempts, got eight rebounds and gave out six assists. The Suns lost by double digits to the Celtics in Boston.
12. Wilt Chamberlain (San Francisco Warriors) on March 10, 1963: 70 points
Chamberlain completed the last of his six 70-point games against the Syracuse Nationals, which later became the Philadelphia 76ers. Chamberlain converted 27 of his 38 throw attempts and hit 16 of his 22 free throws. He also grabbed 18 rebounds, but the Warriors lost by 15 points.
14. Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) on March 28, 1990: 69 points
Michael Jordan is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but he never made a 70-point game. Jordan’s career-high scoring scores were 23/37 and 21/23 from the free throw line. MJ also grabbed 18 rebounds, handed out six assists and earned four steals in the win over the Cavaliers.
15. Pete Maravich (New Orleans Jazz) on February 25, 1977: 68 points
His highest score came against the Knicks at the Superdome in New Orleans for “Pistol” Pete Maravich. Maravich hit 26 of 43 throws from play and 16 of 19 free throws. He added six assists and six rebounds to his historic record.
15. Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia 76ers) on December 16, 1967: 68 points
After several successful years with the Warriors, Chamberlain returned to his hometown and played for the 76ers. In late 1967 he delivered another of his finest performances. Against the Bulls, entering their second season in the NBA, he scored 68 points, hitting 30 of his 40 shot attempts from the field. Chamberlain also grabbed 34 rebounds. It could have been one of his best performances ever if he hadn’t scored 8 out of 22 points from the free throw line.
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