Some interesting 40+pt games from the past 20 years

[Hawaii]

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.

I also remember Tracy Murray's 50-point game, both Webber and Howard were injured that game, and Murray just blew up on Golden State. I believe it was the highest point total in the NBA that year.

Found a newspaper article on it:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1 ... 45,7113516

[Hawaii]

The Vernon Maxwell 51-point game was pretty crazy, too...didn't see the game, but watched the highlights on Sportscenter that night. He put up 30 in the 4th quarter alone.

[Tyrone Messby]

Wow I forgot about that 50 point night from Tracy Murray. He was always deadly from 3 though.

[runnyc]

I remember Darius Miles having a 47 point game off the bench for the Blazers a few years ago. Talk about surprising.

[Gongxi]

The Rik Smits games don't really fit in this thread. He was actually a very good player for several years.

[-Illmatic-]

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

I was at this game. Good times. Good times.

[Basileus777]

Anthony Johnson put up 40 points against the Nets in a playoff game.

[rgmnick]

It's funny how long after an effort like that will stick with a player. I remember everyone thinking that Kleiza was the man for almost a year after his.

[bluefear]

acie earl 40 point game

he was pretty bad..haha

[albedo]

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

It was Jan. 5th, '01.

They also lost that game. His FGA?

47.

[MMyhre]

Andre Miller had 52 pts against Dallas last season... THAT was random : p

[OGSactownballer]

The funny common theme here is that almost all of these guys (Webber being the obvious exception) are swingmen/shooting specialists. It fits because it is never an unusual thing in a given basketball game for a shooter to suddenly get hot. If you have guys on your squad that will feed you the ball in that situation, you end up with that kind of game - Vernon Maxwell with 30 in the fourth is a perfect example.

[Dr Positivity]

Charlie Villaneuva dropping 48 in his rookie season was pretty wild. Bosh has never gotten that high.

[Got Em]

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

SAR could put up buckets back then, couldn't he?

[Shinyhubcaps]

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.

In fact, Wilt Chamberlain does hold the record with 271 40-point games (NBA Media Guide, p. 181). He also had 63 in a season and, at one point, 14 consecutive.

[DrunkOnMystery]

Fun fact about Nick Anderson's 50pt game:

It was his first game back from an injury, and he came off the bench. All that's really impressive, but that story paled in comparison to the biggest story of that particular game, which was this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K1EXurORC0

[Bring-Your-Js]

On the matter of 40+ pt games outside of the Wilt Chamberlain, it's been dominated by two players like nobody's business.

It's a shame that basketballreference's Play Index is limited to thru 1986-87 season, but nevertheless:

Most 40+ pt games in a season:

1) 37 - Michael Jordan, 1986-87
2) 27 - Kobe Bryant, 2005-06
3) 22 - Michael Jordan, 1989-90
4) 19 - Kobe Bryant, 2002-03
5) 18 - Michael Jordan, 1989-90
5) 18 - Kobe Bryant, 2006-07

Most 50+ pt games in a season:

1) 10 - Kobe Bryant, 2006-07
2) 8 - Michael Jordan, 1986-97
3) 6 - Kobe Bryant, 2005-06
4) 5 - Michael Jordan, 1988-89
5) 4 - Michael Jordan, 1987-88
5) 4 - Michael Jordan, 1992-93

[Shinyhubcaps]

On the matter of 40+ pt games outside of the Wilt Chamberlain, it's been dominated by two players like nobody's business.

It's a shame that basketballreference's Play Index is limited to thru 1986-87 season, but nevertheless:

Most 40+ pt games in a season:

1) 37 - Michael Jordan, 1986-87
2) 27 - Kobe Bryant, 2005-06
3) 22 - Michael Jordan, 1989-90
4) 19 - Kobe Bryant, 2002-03
5) 18 - Michael Jordan, 1989-90
5) 18 - Kobe Bryant, 2006-07

Most 50+ pt games in a season:

1) 10 - Kobe Bryant, 2006-07
2) 8 - Michael Jordan, 1986-97
3) 6 - Kobe Bryant, 2005-06
4) 5 - Michael Jordan, 1988-89
5) 4 - Michael Jordan, 1987-88
5) 4 - Michael Jordan, 1992-93

I've got the NBA Media Guide and the records listed therein, so I've got some pre-1986 stuff.

I looked just to see if anyone else registered from pre-1986 except Wilt, and it's pretty much Wilt, Jordan, and Bryant for everything.

Most 40-point or higher games, career:
1.) 271- Wilt Chamberlain
2.) 173- Michael Jordan
3.) 96 (104 by now)- Kobe Bryant

Most 50-point or higher games, career:
1.) 118- Wilt Chamberlain
2.) 31- Michael Jordan
3.) 24- Kobe Bryant
4.) 17- Elgin Baylor
5.) 14- Rick Barry

40+ point games, season:
1.) 63- Wilt Chamberlain
2.) 52- Wilt Chamberlain
3.) 37- Michael Jordan

50+ point games, season:
1.) 45- Wilt Chamberlain
2.) 30- Wilt Chamberlain
3.) 10- Kobe Bryant

Just to confirm that there aren't any names in the NBA Media Guide that aren't on Basketball-Reference. It's Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan for the modern era, and Wilt Chamberlain for the older era.

[Bring-Your-Js]

On the matter of 40+ pt games outside of the Wilt Chamberlain, it's been dominated by two players like nobody's business.

It's a shame that basketballreference's Play Index is limited to thru 1986-87 season, but nevertheless:

Most 40+ pt games in a season:

1) 37 - Michael Jordan, 1986-87
2) 27 - Kobe Bryant, 2005-06
3) 22 - Michael Jordan, 1989-90
4) 19 - Kobe Bryant, 2002-03
5) 18 - Michael Jordan, 1989-90
5) 18 - Kobe Bryant, 2006-07

Most 50+ pt games in a season:

1) 10 - Kobe Bryant, 2006-07
2) 8 - Michael Jordan, 1986-97
3) 6 - Kobe Bryant, 2005-06
4) 5 - Michael Jordan, 1988-89
5) 4 - Michael Jordan, 1987-88
5) 4 - Michael Jordan, 1992-93

I've got the NBA Media Guide and the records listed therein, so I've got some pre-1986 stuff.

I looked just to see if anyone else registered from pre-1986 except Wilt, and it's pretty much Wilt, Jordan, and Bryant for everything.

Most 40-point or higher games, career:
1.) 271- Wilt Chamberlain
2.) 173- Michael Jordan
3.) 96 (104 by now)- Kobe Bryant

Most 50-point or higher games, career:
1.) 118- Wilt Chamberlain
2.) 31- Michael Jordan
3.) 24- Kobe Bryant
4.) 17- Elgin Baylor
5.) 14- Rick Barry

40+ point games, season:
1.) 63- Wilt Chamberlain
2.) 52- Wilt Chamberlain
3.) 37- Michael Jordan

50+ point games, season:
1.) 45- Wilt Chamberlain
2.) 30- Wilt Chamberlain
3.) 10- Kobe Bryant

Just to confirm that there aren't any names in the NBA Media Guide that aren't on Basketball-Reference. It's Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan for the modern era, and Wilt Chamberlain for the older era.

Excellent Stuff.

It also drew my curiosity of looking up Bryant's current peers: Lebron James and Dwyane Wade.

Lebron: 42 40+ pt games, 8 50+ pt games.

Wade: 28 40+ pt games, 3 50+ pt games.

Mind Boggling. This basically means Jordan had 9 more 40+ point performances in a SINGLE SEASON than Dwyane Wade's accomplished his entire career thus far and only five fewer than James' under the same circumstances.

Ironically, it also means Bryant had two more 50+ pt games in a single season than James' career total; and more in a four-game stretch than Wade in the last seven seasons..

*Head Explodes*

[Smoke117]

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

That is wrong for sure. Pippen scored 43pts on a 16/17 94.1% game in 91.