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I was flipping through an older copy of the Sporting News NBA Guide I came across, and started scanning the HI point games from the last 20 years (89-90-present). This is roughly when I started following NBA basketball regularly (1992, to be exact). I decided to pick out all of the 40+pt games by players who were surprising to me. Some of the later ones I remember clearly (Terry Mills-41pts with Pistons), but there was one that stood out as a WTF moment. It's the first one on the list here. Please comment if you can remember or saw any of these games. I'm curious who they were against, and stuff like that. Here are the 89-94 games, and I will post the rest soon-

The big WTF game-

89-90 T-Wolves-Randy Breuer-40pts

89-90/91-92 Bullets-Ledell Eackles-40pts
89-90 Spurs-Terry Cummings-52pts (I know he could score, but that's a bunch)
Magic-Terry Catledge-49pts
Warriors-Terry Teagle-44pts (apparantly a good year to be named Terry)
Mavs-Sam Perkins-45pts
90-91 Kings-Antoine Carr-41pts
Lionel Simmons-42pts
Heat-Sherman Douglas-42pts
Rockets-Vernon Maxwell-51pts (again, know he was a streaky guy, but that's impressive)
91-92 Magic-Scott Skiles-41pts (didn't he also have 30 assists that year?)
Lakers-Sedale Threatt-42pts
92-93 Bullets-Harvey Grant-41pts
Kings-Walt Williams-40pts
Magic-Nick Anderson-50pts
Pistons-Terry Mills-41pts
93-94 Celtics-Dee Brown-40pts

Some other fun stats for 40+ point games over the past 10 years.

(note, this topped out at 700 results on Basketball-Reference so there may actually be more!)

Highest FG %: 92.9% on 13/14 by Alonzo Mourning on 23 February 2000

Lowest FG %: 35.1% on 13/37 by Kobe Bryant on 28 December 2005

Most 3p FG made: 12 on 12/18 by Kobe Bryant on 7 January 2003

Most rebounds on a 40 point game: 26 (10 Offensive) by Chris Webber on 5 January 2009

Most Assists: 15, by (of all people) Allen Iverson on 17 March 2007

Youngest Player to have a 40 point game: Kevin Durant (19 years, 200 days)

Oldest Player to have a 40 point game: Michael Jordan (4 days past his 40th birthday)

Most 40 point games: Kobe Bryant 102

Highest scoring rate per minute: Kobe Bryant 1.93 in the 81 point game

Lowest scoring rate per minute: Kobe Bryant in a 52 minute, 40 point slog .77, also ironically against Toronto on 17 December 2009

Most FTA in a 40 point game: 24, by Lebron James on 12 March 2006

Most number of 40 point games allowed: Phoenix, with 36

Fewest number of 40 point games allowed (excluding teams which either changed cities, came into existence during the last 10 years or folded during that time): a tie between San Antonio and Portland on 13

rrravenred wrote:Most rebounds on a 40 point game: 26 (10 Offensive) by Chris Webber on 5 January 2009

I must say this one is the most impressive, since he was retired at the time.

Most 40 point games: Kobe Bryant 102

This can't be right either. It's gotta be Chamberlain. Even restricting it to the modern era, I'm quite sure MJ has more.

Yeah, CWebb is an awesome player... uh... or at least he was in 2001...

It's only the past ten years. Basketball-reference only goes back to 86 with searchable game logs.

Jordan's total was 185, which excludes his rookie year. So... yeah a pretty clear modern leader...

Cool stats

Linas Kleiza once scored 41 points. Add that to the list of "wtf" games.

More-

94-95 76ers-Willie Burton-53pts/ Dana Barros-50pts
Mavs-Jim Jackson/Jamal Mashburn-50pts (not THAT unexpected...Mash did it with the Hornets, too)
95-96-Nuggets-Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf-51pts
97-98-Wizards-Tracy Murray-50pts
99-00 Suns-Clifford Robinson-50pts
00-01 Suns-Tony Delk-53pts (the FU Kings game)
01-02 Hawks-Shareef Abdur-Rahim-50pts

Jamison had back to back 50 point games.

Alan Ogg wrote:More-

94-95 76ers-Willie Burton-53pts/ Dana Barros-50pts
Mavs-Jim Jackson/Jamal Mashburn-50pts (not THAT unexpected...Mash did it with the Hornets, too)
95-96-Nuggets-Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf-51pts
97-98-Wizards-Tracy Murray-50pts
99-00 Suns-Clifford Robinson-50pts
00-01 Suns-Tony Delk-53pts (the FU Kings game)
01-02 Hawks-Shareef Abdur-Rahim-50pts

Tracy Murray had a 50 point game with the Wizards? Where was I? I mean, Ledell Eackles, sure but Tracy Murray -- WTF?

Rik Smits had a 40 point game against the Sixers in 1994, going 17/27 in FG, had 6/7 FT's, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block to go with his point total; and he did it in 27 minutes.

In 1995/96 he scored 44 points, and then again in 96/97 he scored 40 points.

24 free throws..jesus..

Anthony Johnson's last game for the Pacers. Damien Wilkins also did it once. Mike Miller once scored 41, and even though he's awesome, it's noteworthy because he did it from off the bench.

Tracy Murray scored 50 points in 97-98 for the Wizards. Tracy Murray. Think of all the great players that never scored 50 points in a game. Tracy Murray.

montestewart wrote:Tracy Murray scored 50 points in 97-98 for the Wizards. Tracy Murray. Think of all the great players that never scored 50 points in a game. Tracy Murray.

I remember it happening. Really wasn't much of a fluke, either.

Murray also had a decent playoffs that year when Webber, Howard, Strickland, Cheaney, Muresan and he really made a great Bulls team work. I think that Bulls team had 70+ wins and the Wizards played them tight. Murray averaged something like 16 PPG for the playoff series.

To get back to the topic thread, I remember Willie Burton putting up 53 for the Heat.

I also will predict Brandon Jennings never puts up 55 again in his career.

There were two random 40 point games for The Raptors in 1996.
First Tracy Murray scored 40 against Denver.
Then, Acie Earl scored 40 against Boston.
The Raptors lost both games.

Hobo Gonzolez wrote:There were two random 40 point games for The Raptors in 1996.
First Tracy Murray scored 40 against Denver.
Then, Acie Earl scored 40 against Boston.
The Raptors lost both games.

Ouch, I forgot about the Acie Earl game. That one is about as puzzling as any. Dude could barely get himself up and down the court when he was with the Celtics. Looked like he escaped from the mafia and a date with the bottom of the ocean.

Tracy Murray and Cliff Robinson could both score plenty. No huge surprise. Murray had a couple of 15ppg seasons, and Robinson had several 20ppg ones.

rrravenred wrote:
Youngest Player to have a 40 point game: Kevin Durant (19 years, 200 days)

wow, i thought that lebron would be the youngest. Really cool stat though

It's more than 20 years ago, but Larry Wright, a member of the Bullets 77-78 championship team and a career reserve who never scored 10 ppg in a season, scored more than 40 points (I think it was 43) in a game in the late 70s or early 80s.

How many 40 points were there in the 90s?

How many in the 2000s?