NBA single-game scoring reaches new heights in 2022-23 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It’s safe to say we may never see an NBA player surpass Wilt Chamberlain’s legendary 100-point scoring performance. Chamberlain is still sitting pretty at the top with the single-game scoring record after leading the Golden State Warriors to victory over the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.
The only player that has even come close to Chamberlain’s record in the last six decades of NBA history is Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 points on Jan. 22, 2006, in the 122-104 win against the Toronto Raptors.
While the 100-point plateau has been hard to reach, there has been no lack of high-scoring single-game performances in recent basketball history as players have begun to lean on the 3-point shot more and more.
This season is no different – as of Feb. 2, there have been 21 games in the 2022-23 NBA season where players have scored 50 points or more.
Here’s a look at the NBA stars who have scored 50-plus points in a single game this season, in descending order from the highest total:
Damian Lillard erupted for 71 points against the Houston Rockets on Sunday night, making it a career-best for the Portland Trail Blazers star guard.
Lillard became the eighth player to score 70 points in NBA history and at 32 years old, he became the oldest player in league history with a 70-point game.
After scoring 41 in the first half, he finished the night shooting 22-of-38 from the field and made a franchise-best 13 3-pointers while playing 39 minutes.
Donovan Mitchell is the most recent player to score a 70-plus-point game this season. The Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard scored 71 points — the highest single-game total since Bryant’s 81 — when the Cavs defeated the Chicago Bulls 145-134 in overtime. Mitchell put the fans – and the league – on such high notice that Mitchell found himself on the receiving end of a random performance-enhancing drug test.
T-3. Luka Doncic (60) – Dec. 27, 2022
Luka Doncic is no stranger to high-scoring games. And, after the European star stated that it’s easier to score in the NBA than the EuroLeague, it’s no shock that he continues to rake in points. He did just that when he scored 60 points in the Dallas Mavericks’ 126-121 victory against the Knicks.
T-3. Damian Lillard (60) – Jan. 25, 2023
For the second time in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers star reached the 50-point mark. Less than two weeks…