Listing the all-time top-5 scoring performances in an NBA All-Star game: Featuring Steph Curry, Anthony Davis and more
The NBA just concluded its 71st edition of the All-Star Game, and millions of fans around the world watched the greatest players in the sport put on a show. Once the biggest attraction of the exhibition weekend, the dunk contest was quite underwhelming this year. Karl-Anthony Towns became the first center in league history to win the 3-point contest, and a trio of Cavaliers won the Skills Challenge.
However, the biggest show of the weekend is the All-Star Game. Some of the greatest players of all time have put on performances for the ages during All-Star weekends. Kobe Bryant is the winner of four All-Star game MVP awards while Michael Jordan is a three-time recipient. Fans in the 1980s and '90s would watch Magic Johnson's passing and Jordan's high-flying dunks.
Let's relive some of the biggest NBA All-Star game performances of all time.
Top 5 highest scoring performances in an NBA All-Star game
Steph Curry sank 16 3-pointers in the 2022 All-Star Game, and the crowd, which initially booed him, started cheering with all their energy. He ended up with 50 points and won the All-Star Game MVP award, but Joel Embiid had 36 points on 70% shooting of his own. Giannis Antetokounmpo also had 30 points on 71% shooting along with 12 rebounds and six assists Sunday.
With the plethora of talent on the floor, it is quite difficult to stand out with a huge performance as everyone is capable of going nuclear. Curry is just the second player in NBA history with a 50-point game and just the seventh ever to score above 40.
Here are the top five scoring performances in NBA All-Star game history.
Note: The 4th-, 5th- and 6th-highest scoring games are tied for 41 points. Russell Westbrook's 2015 performance was edged out of the top five compared to his 2017 game. Paul George, on the other hand, set a then-All-Star record in that game, so he cracks the top five.
#5 Russell Westbrook – 41 points – 2017, New Orleans
This isn't Russell Westbrook's only 41-point performance on All-Star weekend. He did so in 2015 as well, winning All-Star game MVP honors for that night. However, he didn't lift the MVP hardware after his significantly better 2017 performance, because Anthony Davis exploded for 52 points.
Nevertheless, "Brodie" dropped 41 points on 16-for-26 (61.5%) shooting, including 7-13 (53.8%) from beyond the arc, while making both his free-throw attempts.
Russell Westbrook in the 2017 #NBAAllStar game
41 PTS (16/26 FG, 7/13 3PT), 7 AST, 5 REB in 19 MINS off the bench
https://t.co/xA5b8k0gco
The reason his 2017 game was picked over his 2015 one was because he attempted fewer shots, made more 3s, took fewer free throws and also did it in just 19 minutes and 42 seconds. Westbrook also had five rebounds, seven assists and a steal off the bench. It was the first All-Star game without Kobe Bryant since 2000, and the Western Conference defeated their counterparts from the East 192-182.
#4 Paul George – 41 points – 2016, Toronto
Paul George dropped 41 points in the 2016 All-Star Game while representing the Eastern Conference. He played for the Indiana Pacers at the time, and this was his third All-Star appearance and second start. He set a then-NBA record for the most 3-pointers in an All-Star game with nine triples on 19 attempts (47.4%).
Paul George returned to the All-Star Game this year & erupted with 41 pts! Only ONE shy of Wilt Chamberlain's record https://t.co/i5GJrF09Ti
Surprisingly, he did not win the All-Star Game MVP for this performance despite going just one point shy of the all-time All-Star game record at the time. The Western Conference won 196-173, so OKC's Russell Westbrook won the award with 31 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals.
George scored 41 on 16-for-26 (61.%) shooting and attempted zero free throws. He also had five rebounds, an assist and a steal in 26 minutes of action.