20 Highest Scored NBA Game In Basketball History

The Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers established the NBA scoring record with 151 and 153 points, respectively.

The game's overall score was 304 after two overtime periods. Similarly, the event took place on May 11, 1992, in the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona. 

In the following game, Sun's Kevin Johnson led the team with 35 points, followed by Tom Chambers with 29, Jeff Hornacek with 23, and Dan Majerle with 21. 

On the other hand, Clyde Drexler led the Trail Blazers with 33 points, Terry Porter had 31, Danny Ainge had 25, and Jerome Kersey had 21.

According to a 1992 piece in The Los Angeles Times, Portland defeated the Suns in double overtime, 153-151, to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series. 

With 10.7 seconds remaining in the second overtime, Kevin Duckworth sank two free throws to put the Trail Blazers up, 152-151. Duckworth did not score in the fourth quarter or the first overtime period, but he did hit two baskets and four free throws in the second overtime period

It was the final NBA game ever played at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. 

The Nuggets outscored the Portland Trail Blazers 162-143 at McNichols Sports Arena, scoring 81 points in the first half, paced by David Thompson's 30 points.

Denver not only broke the club record for points in a game on February 13, 1981, but they also set a team record with 64 field goals. Thompson had 23 points, Kiki Vandeweghe had 23, Ken Higgs had 21, and Alex English had 20 points for the Nuggets. 

Based on the Basketball Reference website, the Portland Trail Blazers were led by Jim Paxson (15 points), Kelvin Ransey (13 points), and Mychal Thompson (10 points). 

This is still one of the most high-scoring NBA games between the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers that was held at Denver's McNichols Sports Arena. 

In the following match, the Nuggets outscored the Pacers by 155 points to 150, while the total was 305 points with one overtime. 

Denver led the game by 39 points in the first half, while the Pacers led by 35 points in the second half. The Nuggets' Alex English led the team in scoring with 37 points. Kiki Vandeweghe and Dan Issel each had 29 points, while Billy McKinney had 22.

The Pacers' top starters were George Johnson and Clark Kellogg, who both scored 21 points. 

The Los Angeles Lakers faced the Cleveland Cavaliers at Cleveland, Ohio on January 29, 1980. 

It took four overtimes to determine a winner, with the Cavaliers winning by 154–153. The Lakers were led by Kareem Abdul Jabar's 42 points, while seven other players scored in double digits.

Besides, the Cavaliers had three players with more than 30 points. Forward Mike Mitchell won the game with two seconds remaining in the fourth overtime when he hit two free throws. 

It is widely regarded as one of the finest regular-season victories in the Cavaliers' history. 

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 155–154 in five overtimes on November 9, 1989. It was tied for the second-longest NBA game in history. 

Tony Brown's three-pointer with 1:10 left in the fifth overtime placed Milwaukee ahead for good, and the Bucks beat the Seattle SuperSonics with one point in the NBA's longest game since the 24-second clock was implemented. 

Nevertheless, as per The Los Angeles Times, with the score knotted, 146-146, the Bucks outscored the Sonics 9-0, beginning with Brown's three-pointer from the left corner and concluding with 34 seconds remaining on Jeff Grayer's layup that made the score 155-146. 

Following Milwaukee's 9-0 run, Seattle responded with a three-point shot by Dana Barros, a free throw by Nate McMillan, and a rebound basket by Sedale Threatt to make the score 155-152. 

Seattle had an opportunity to tie the score in the game, but McDaniel's desperate three-point attempt fell short. As time expired, he was fouled by Jay Humphries, and his two free throws made the score 155–154.

The Syracuse Nationals defeated the San Francisco Warriors 163–148 for a total of 311 points. The match took place on March 10, 1963. 

Furthermore, San Francisco's Wilt Chamberlain scored the most points (70) in the first 48 minutes of the game. Guy Rodgers, with 23, and George Lee, with 14, were the two players with the most points. 

Lee Shaffer, on the other hand, led the team in scoring with 31 points in the first 33 minutes of play. Similarly, Len Chappell scored 20 points for the club, while Hal Greer and Paul Neumann each scored 17. 

According to Basketball Reference, the Syracuse Nationals led the game in the first half with 44 points, the third with 36 points, and the fourth with 42 points. The Warriors only took the lead in the second half with 44 points. 

The game between the Portland Trail Blazers and Chicago Bulls was held on March 16, 1984. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 155-156 with a total point total of 311. 

The match, which drew 12666 spectators, was a marathon game with four overtimes, with the outcome favoring the Bulls. The Portland Trail Blazers led the first two halves of the game, while the Chicago Bulls led the third and fourth halves. 

When the fourth round was completed, both teams had 122 points, forcing overtime with a seven-point draw. Following that, in the second and third overtime periods, both sides had 7 and 8 points.

Per Basketball Reference, the Bulls scored 12 points in the final overtime, giving the squad a total of 156 points. Quintin Dailey of the Chicago Bulls led the squad with 33 points, followed by Dave Greenwood with 26 and Orlando Woolridge with 21. 

On the other hand, Jim Paxson of the Portland Trail Blazers scored 41 points in the opening 49 minutes. 

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Denver Nuggets 157-154 on April 15, 1984, courtesy of a club-record 24 assists from John Lucas and a career-high 25 points from rookie John Paxson. 

San Antonio defeated Denver 48-43, with backup center Mark McNamara scoring 18 of his career-high 22 points in the fourth quarter and Paxon contributing 17. 

Similarly, Lucas, who came off the bench to set an NBA record with 14 assists in the second quarter, had eight in the fourth quarter as San Antonio recovered a 111-109 third-quarter lead. 

According to UPI, the Spurs established a franchise record with 50 assists, while the Nuggets had already clinched a playoff spot. Gene Banks contributed 24 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists for San Antonio. 

For the Nuggets, Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe each scored 30 points, and Dan Schayes added 23 points and 12 rebounds. On the other hand, Rob Williams had 17 points and 11 assists. 

Legendary Boston point guard Bob Cousy set an NBA record with 28 assists on February 2, 1959. 

It happened in a game against the (then) Minneapolis Lakers (now the Los Angeles Lakers) in what was Boston's (and the NBA's) highest-scoring game in history, a 173-139 blowout of the Lakers, as reported by Celtics Wire. 

The game was played at a high pace at the time, which explains how the Celtics were able to score 173 points in a landslide victory while playing in second gear for much of the game.

Moreover, Tommy Heinsohn led the Celtics with 43 points, Bob Cousy with 31, and Bill Sharman with 29, while Elgin Baylor topped the Lakers with 28. 

The Denver Nuggets and the San Antonio Spurs set a record-breaking pace in the first half at San Antonio, with the Spurs winning by a total score of 314 points on November 7, 1990. 

After trailing 90-83 after 24 minutes, the Spurs came back to win 161-153 in the second half. The Spurs took charge in the third quarter, outscoring Denver 42-26, paced by David Robinson's 43-point performance, per the Washington Post. 

Robinson finished with 43 points, most of which came from dunks, layups, and short shots. Additionally, Elliott finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds. 

Based on the report shared by The LA Times Post from November 1990, San Antonio scored 12 consecutive points to cut Denver's lead to 92-83 early in the third period. With 2:08 remaining in the third quarter, the Spurs led 117-114 after a 12-2 run put them up by 13. 

The Phoenix Suns defeated the Denver Nuggets 173-143 on November 11, 1990, setting and breaking many NBA and team records. 

Likewise, their total of 173 points is equal with the 1959 Boston Celtics for the most points scored by a team in a non-overtime game and fourth all-time. Phoenix dominated the first half, scoring an NBA-record 107 points, 50 in the first quarter and 57 in the second. 

The 107 first-half points shattered the previous NBA record of 90 points, established three days earlier by the Nuggets in a 161–153 defeat to San Antonio.

The 57 points are the most ever scored in the second quarter, and the total of 173 is a Suns franchise record for most points scored in an NBA game (overtime or regulation). 

Per The Sporting News, the combined total of 316 points is tied for the sixth highest in NBA history, while the combined total of 174 points in the first half is an NBA record. 

The Nuggets' Orlando Woolridge recorded a game-high 40 points, but he was outmatched by the Suns, who had eight players score in double digits. Phoenix assisted on 50 of their 67 field goals while shooting 64.4 percent from the floor and 39-of-48 from the foul line. 

While Cedric Ceballos was the "spark off the bench," scoring 32 points in 23 minutes on 12-of-15 shooting from the field, it was the combination of Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle who contributed the most. 

On 8-of-11 shooting from the field, KJ ended with 23 points, 17 assists, five rebounds, and five steals, while Majerle finished with 21 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and two steals. 

On March 12, 1970, in Cincinnati Gardens, the previous high scoring mark of 316 points was achieved during a game between the Cincinnati Royals and the San Diego Rockets. 

Both clubs knew they had little chance of making the playoffs by the time the game began. Instead, they focused on playing quick basketball and increasing everyone's scoring statistics by a few decimal points at the conclusion of the season. 

Due to this, all five Royals starters scored more than 20 points, with Tom van Ardale and Connie Dierking leading the way with 36 and 34 points, respectively. Whereas, the other shooters like Johnny Green had 29, Oscar Robertson had 28, and Norm Van Lier had 22. 

By the end of the third quarter, the Royals had an 18-point advantage over the Rockets, virtually ending the game. Hayes led the game in scoring with 40 points, Don Kojis had 23, and John Blick had 20. 

Besides, the 1968–1970 season was Oscar's final season with the team, as he was traded to the Bucks for Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk for the 1970–1971 season. 

Wilt Chamberlain tallied 100 points against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. Chamberlain accomplished this record despite making 36 field goals and 28 of 32 free throws.

To put it in perspective, the Philadelphia Warriors defeated the New York Knicks 169–147. Chamberlain outscored the next best scoring player in the game by 61 points.

The NBA did not broadcast the game, thus, just around 5,000 people saw the memorable event.

The Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks convened on the court to pay tribute to Chamberlain in March 2022. The game included current NBA stars James Harden, Joel Embiid, and Julius Randle.

Chamberlain's record is etched into the fabric of NBA history. The record has endured the test of time for almost six decades.

On October 31, 2019, the Houston Rockets defeated the Washington Wizards 159–158 to capture their third consecutive regular season victory in the NBA.

Fans were treated to 317 points in the nail-biting game at Capital One Arena, as well as a slew of new NBA records for both sides.

The Rockets surpassed the franchise record for most points in a single game with 159 points, while the Wizards established a record for the most points scored in an NBA regulation loss with 158 points.

Houston struck on 53.4 percent of its shots. Washington outperformed that by a staggering 62.6 percent. Washington scored a whopping 43 points in the second quarter. Houston then defied logic with a 48-point fourth-quarter performance.

Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets finished with a triple-double, based on the Washington post. 

James Harden won the game from the foul line with 2.4 seconds left. After his lone miss in a 17-for-18 performance at the line, he hit one of his two tries to give the Rockets a lasting lead.

On December 7, 2006, the New Jersey Nets made a deliberate choice to go with the Phoenix Suns and their lauded "Seven Seconds or Less" approach.

The two sides swapped baskets at breakneck pace, with their respective defenders giving little to no opposition. It offered a fascinating insight into the NBA's future, a compelling, pace-and-space game way ahead of its time.

At the moment, the game had the fourth-highest point total in NBA history (318). The Ringer stated there were 34 lead changes, 21 ties, and 13 players scoring in double digits.

Five of the 13 double-figure shooters were All-Stars, with Jason Kidd (ten), Steve Nash (eight), Vince Carter (eight), Amar'e Stoudemire (six), and Shawn Marion (four) appearing in 36 All-Star Games.

Moreover, the high-scoring match included 224 shots, 27 three-pointers, 57 fouls, and just 29 total turnovers.

Kidd finished a 6-0 run with a three-point play to tie the game at 157 with 33.6 seconds remaining. Nash's 13th and last assist, a little pass to Boris Diaw for a short shot in the lane, gave Phoenix a 159-157 lead.

Diaw nearly threw the inbounds pass away after a 20-second stoppage. Nash retrieved the ball and was fouled, making both free throws with 4 seconds remaining for a 161-157 lead.

During the 1983-84 NBA season, the Denver Nuggets asserted themselves as an offensive powerhouse by leading the league in scoring.

No game better demonstrates their prolific offense than their clash against the San Antonio Spurs on January 11, 1984.

Kiki Vandeweghe paced the way with 50 points on 21-of-30 shooting in a 163-155 victory that broke an NBA record for the highest-scoring non-overtime match in league history, according to the NBA.

Vandeweghe's rant came during his most productive NBA season. After that, he led the Nuggets to the Western Conference playoffs, averaging 29.4 points and 4.8 rebounds.

The Nuggets were able to hold off the Spurs, who had immense outputs from George 'Iceman' Gervin (38 points, 9 assists) and John Lucas (23 points, 18 assists).

This game already has the second-most points ever scored in games without extra periods and the fourth-most overall in terms of total points scored overall.

The Denver Nuggets debuted their fast-paced offense, setting an NBA record for points scored by two teams in a regulation game in Denver.

However, the Golden State Warriors triumphed, 162-158, on the pace of Tim Hardaway's 32 points and 18 assists.

Denver Coach Paul Westhead, who led Loyola Marymount to multiple collegiate scoring records, made his debut in the game. As the Nuggets' exhibition games averaged more than 300 points, he offered a clear idea of the type of play he would employ.

Mullin's three-point shot with 2:27 remaining placed the Warriors up for good with a score of 155-152.

T.R. Dunn's basket with 59 seconds left cut the Nuggets' lead to 159–158 before Hardaway converted one of two free throws to give the Warriors a two-point advantage.

During the last minutes, Denver had two chances to tie the game, but Todd Lichti and Corey Gaines both missed baskets, and Rod Higgins sunk two free throws with 9 seconds remaining to secure the win.

Orlando Woolridge scored 37 points in his debut game donning a Denver jersey, while Walter Davis added 33 for the Nuggets, who attempted 130 field goal attempts. Lichti scored 19 points in total, all of them in the second half.

Golden State led 43-41 at the half, with Mullin and Tom Tolbert both scoring ten points. The Warriors led 87-83 at halftime, setting a club record for most points in the first half.

Hardaway netted 12 of his total points in the third quarter, as Golden State held a 125-122 lead into the final 12 minutes, per latimes.com. 

The Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls had the highest-scoring game of the twenty-first century on March 1, 2019. 

It is also the NBA's highest-scoring game with four or more overtime periods and the losing team's most defeats in a game with more than 316 points. 

Lauri Markkanen hit three free throws to give Chicago the lead for good, Zach LaVine scored a career-high 47 points, and the Bulls won in four overtimes, 168–161. 

It was the third-highest combined point total in NBA history for two teams, following only a pair of triple-overtime games. Markkanen had 31 points and 17 rebounds in the game. He broke a 159-159 deadlock with three free throws after being fouled by Alex Len.

Young and DeAndre Bembry both turned the ball over in the last 30 seconds of the third overtime, depriving the Hawks of the chance to break the 155-155 tie. Moreover, a 3-pointer by Ryan Arcidiacono prompted the third overtime. 

With 1 minute, 31 seconds remaining in the first overtime, LaVine's 3-pointer gave Chicago a 139-138 advantage. Wayne Selden scored one of the two free throws after Young turned the ball over on an inaccurate pass to extend the margin to two points.

With 2.2 seconds remaining in regulation, Young's tiebreaking step-back 3-pointer triggered the first OT. His last-second layup knotted the game at 140, forcing a second overtime. 

The former highest scoring record with total of 337 points was set on March 6, 1982. The game took place at HemisFair Arena in San Antonio, Texas, between the San Antonio Spurs and the Milwaukee Bucks. 

During the tournament, three players scored 40 or more points. 

As listed on The New York Times, George Gervin scored 50 points, including 24 in overtime, and Mike Mitchell added 45 as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in triple overtime, 171–166. 

Brian Winters led the Bucks with 42 points, scoring 13 consecutive field goals at one point. Milwaukee had to come back from a 6-point deficit with 2 minutes 53 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. 

Winters scored the Bucks' last 13 points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 131, as the Spurs led 124-118. The Bucks took early leads in the first two overtimes, only for the Spurs to come back and tie the game at 145 after the first and 157 after the second.

Gervin scored eight consecutive baskets in the third overtime period to gave San Antonio a 165-161 lead that the Bucks were unable to overcome.

Two of the NBA's best offenses teamed up for one of the wildest games in NBA history on December 13, 1983. 

The Detroit Pistons won the historic game in triple overtime, 186–184, at McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado. Furthermore, the winning and losing teams scored the most and second most points in a single game, respectively. 

Per nba.com, Detroit's Isiah Thomas led the way with 47 points, 17 assists, five rebounds, and four steals. John Long chipped in with 41 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.

Likewise, Kiki Vandeweghe led the Nuggets with 51 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Alex English contributed 47 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists. 

Overall, Detroit shot 74 for 136 (54.4 percent) and 37 for 60 from the free throw line. Denver shot 68 for 115 (59.1 percent) from the field and 47 for 57 (47.7 percent) from the foul line. Despite the historic score, both teams shot 1-for-2 from 3-point range.