NBA All-time 50-point games

[King Kamala]

It does seem less impressive when you realize almost half the points were free throws.

The 94-95 Sixers have to be the crappiest team where two players had 50 point games. Dana Barros had his random ass 50 point game three months after Willie Burton.

 

[alfdogg]

Barros isn't quite as random for me because he actually averaged 20 a game that year and was an All-Star. It was probably the only year he was relevant in the league but still.

Without looking through the list I'd say Corey Brewer probably ranks just behind Burton in this discussion. Charles Smith, Tracy Murray and Tony Delk are others I'd look at and say "damn, really?" Maybe Terrence Ross, too. Joe Barry Carroll's legacy will always be the McHale/Parish trade, but he did make a couple All-Star teams and made it onto this list

 

[Youth N Asia]

Dame just passed 50 tonight.

 

[Youth N Asia]

Dame just passed 50 tonight.

And again tonight.

 

[alfdogg]

Gonna try to update these threads sometime this week, I know I've been slacking. But former Indiana Hoosier Eric Gordon had his first 50-point game last night

 

[Precious Roy]

Add Khris Middleton to the list. 51 tonight against Washington on 16/26, 7/10, 12/12 shooting. Beal also went for 47 in a 151-131 shootout.

And Eric Gordon had 50 yesterday

How many people are gunning for 72 now?

 

[Precious Roy]

fake edit* I meant gunning for 81 because it was Kobe's high. Why was I thinking 72!?!

 

[AA484]

Didnt Kobe tie David Robinson's 71? That was the highest non-Wilt number on the list until Kobe dropped 82, I believe.

 

[alfdogg]

David Thompson had 73. I think 65 was Kobe's high other than the 81, without looking through the list

 

[909]

David Thompson had 73. I think 65 was Kobe's high other than the 81, without looking through the list

Yeah, it was 65. The game when he outscored the whole Mavs team is the one everyone remembers though.

 

[alfdogg]

The Thompson game btw is the famous end of season battle for the scoring title, where George Gervin later scored 63 to win back the title which Thompson had seemingly locked down. What is never mentioned, and what I didn't know until making this thing up, is that both of their teams lost those games.

 

[Precious Roy]

I want everyone in the NBA who's a gunner to shoot for Kobe's record now tbh.

Trae, Luka, Beal.......get on it

 

[Precious Roy]

Like, the real record is Wilt's 100 in Hershey, PA, but like that's black and white fake news OK BOOMER SHIT

SCORE 200 IN KOBE'S HONOR

 

[Precious Roy]

on the downlow, I feel like Lillard could pop 70+ one night if he really wanted to

 

[909]

Kobe would have put 100 on the Mavs if he wanted. I’ve never seen a player more in the zone than that. The only thing that stopped it was him blowing them out by himself.

I do think Harden will get to 81.

 

[alfdogg]

Yeah but 61 of those would be FTs. It wouldn’t be the same

 

[alfdogg]

Updated

 

[Youth N Asia]

Dame just passed 50 tonight.

And again tonight.

And again tonight.

 

[alfdogg]

February 2020:

As mentioned above, Dame Lillard kept his hot streak going.

Trae Young is the fourth-youngest player to post a 50-point game (Brandon Jennings, LeBron James, Devin Booker 1-3) and the first Hawk to score 50 since Shareef Abdur-Rahim in 2002.

Bradley Beal becomes the first player since Kobe with back-to-back 50's.

 

[alfdogg]

Welcome Caris LeVert to the list!

 

[King Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1345938383172902912

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

new career high for him

 

[King Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1345946779435450368

Low key surprised that MJ didn’t have a 60+ point game in his second Bulls run but I guess at that point, Scottie Pippen (and Toni Kukoc!!!) being there lessened the need for him to do that.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1345946779435450368

Low key surprised that MJ didn’t have a 60+ point game in his second Bulls run but I guess at that point, Scottie Pippen (and Toni Kukoc!!!) being there lessened the need for him to do that.

I think Jordan came close multiple times including the infamous 55 point game against the Knicks. One of the things that "hurt" Jordan was he rarely shot 3 pointers so his points were either within 20 feet of the basket or driving the rim and making free throws.

1995-96: Has 53 Points against Detroit
1996-97: Has 51 against the Knicks and 50 against Charlotte
2001-02: Has 51 against Charlotte

Fun Fact: Jordan still had 4 games at 39+ points when he was 39 and 40 years old.

 

[alfdogg]

Finally updated!

In addition to Murray, T.J. Warren, Fred VanVleet, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid all cracked the list for the first time since the last update.

VanVleet's 54 are both the Raptors' franchise record as well as the record for an undrafted player, and second 50-point game overall by an undrafted player. Moses Malone had the first, but he was drafted into the ABA, and most definitely would have been drafted into the NBA had underclassmen been eligible in those days.

Warren's performance was the first 50-point game by a Pacer since Jermaine O'Neal in 2005, and thanks to the delayed season, the first 50-point game to take place in the month of August. The Sixers' drought also extended to 2005 with Allen Iverson, prior to Embiid's game.

Jokic was the first Nugget with 50 since Carmelo Anthony, one day shy of being exactly 10 years. His teammate Murray is the first player in NBA history to score 50 without attempting a single free throw, and also had the highest FG% in a 50-point game by a player not named Wilt Chamberlain.

 

[alfdogg]

Damian Lillard becomes the 3rd player in NBA history to score 50 with 20 or less FGA. The others were Adrian Dantley and Willie Burton (!)

 

[Baby Shoes]

Willie Burton was definitely one of the most random as I think it was also in the later part of his career.

Willie Burton references are a slippery slope for me because the first thing I think of his NBA Hoops rookie card.

And the card design was cool for those lottery picks which makes me think of the similar Gary Payton on a phone before also thinking of Lionel Simmons. And thinking of Lionel Simmons, the first thing that came to mind was a stint he had on the injured list after hurting his wrists playing too much Gameboy.

 

[alfdogg]

Jayson Tatum and Zach Lavine debut on the list. Tatum is the youngest Celtic to have a 50-point game.

 

[alfdogg]

Stephen Curry makes another appearance on the list as he slowly creeps back into the darkhorse MVP discussion.

 

[alfdogg]

Kevin Porter Jr. debuts on the list. He is the fourth-youngest player to score 50 in a game (Brandon Jennings, LeBron James, Devin Booker), and also the youngest to have 50 points and 10 assists in the same game (previously LeBron, who was just over two full years older).

Jayson Tatum goes for 60, tying Larry Bird's 36-year old franchise record.

Random stat: Since Corey Brewer scored 51 points against the Rockets in April 2014, they have not allowed a 50-point game to an opponent, the longest such streak in the NBA.