10 players who have scored 70 or more points in an NBA game
Scoring 70 points in an NBA game is no easy feat. Few players have managed that milestone. It takes incredible efficiency and rhythm to have a high-scoring outing like that. But the league is not new to seeing impossible-looking performances take place now and then.
The 70-point barrier mark has been broken by nine NBA players as a result. The list includes some of the league's top offensive talents, who can score at will, regardless of their size and position.
10 players have scored 70 or more points in an NBA game
The NBA has now seen 10 different players score 70 points in a game. Wilt Chamberlain has achieved the feat six times. He is the only player to have scored at least 70 multiple times. David Robinson, David Thompson, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic are the other nine players to achieve this single-game scoring record.
Looking at the timeline of players who have scored 70 points in an NBA game
#1 Elgin Baylor
Elgin Baylor was the first player to score 70 points in an NBA game. He scored 71 points for the LA Lakers against the New York Knicks during the 1960-61 season. He shot 58.3% and also recorded 25 rebounds in the 123-108 win. Baylor held the record for most points in a game for 472 days before Wilt Chamberlain's 78-point effort against the LA Lakers.
On this date in 1960, Elgin Baylor scores 71 points in a 123-108 win over the Knicks, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 70 points in a game. https://t.co/ggwlML5gY7
#2 Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain has dropped at least 70 points in six games. The NBA legend had a knack for producing video game numbers. In 1961-62, when Wilt was a Philadelphia 76ers, he scored 78 in a 151-147 triple overtime loss to the LA Lakers, 73 in a 135-117 win against the Chicago Packers and his historic 100-point game in a 169-147 win against the New York Knicks.
As a member of the San Francisco Warriors in the 1962-63 season, Chamberlain scored 72 points in a 127-115 loss against the LA Lakers, 73 against the New York Knicks in a 127-111 win and 70 in a 163-148 loss to the Syracuse Nationals.
@SportsCenter Wilt Chamberlain's top-scoring games
100 PTS, 25 REB
78 PTS, 43 REB
73 PTS, 36 REB
73 PTS, 14 REB
72 PTS, 18 REB
70 PTS, 18 REB
https://t.co/aV3wCH1rIQ
#3 David Thompson
David Thompson scored 73 points for the Denver Nuggets in a 139-137 loss to the Detroit Pistons on April 9, 1978. He shot 73.7%. Thompson was the youngest player (23 years, 270 days) to score 70 points in a game at the time. Thompson got the green light to go on the scoring tear as he was battling San Antonio Spurs legend George Gervin for the scoring title.
They both finished with an average of 27.2 points per game, but Gervin claimed the award on tie-breaker as his points total was higher.
#OTD David Thompson (Jul 13, 1953). Former NBA player w/the Denver Nuggets of both the ABA & NBA & w/the Seattle SuperSonics. An NC State grad, he lead the Wolfpack to its 1st NCAA championship (1974). A Hall of Famer, he’s 1 of 6 players to score 70+ points in a game.
#History https://t.co/omtasdCFvj
#4 David Robinson
San Antonio Spurs legend David Robinson scored 71 points in a 112-97 win against the LA Clippers on April 24, 1994. He shot 63.4% and also registered 14 rebounds and two blocks. Robinson's heroics helped him top former LA Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal in the race to win the scoring title. Robinson claimed the award, averaging 29.8 ppg, while O'Neal tallied 29.3 ppg.
OTD 27 years ago, David Robinson scores 71 points against the Clippers to win the scoring title over Shaq
Who’s the next player to drop 70+ in a game?
https://t.co/cDfxTy9WYS
#5 Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant came closest to breaking Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point NBA record when he dropped 81 points for the LA Lakers against the Toronto Raptors in a 122-104 win. The game was held at Staples Center on Jan. 22, 2006. Kobe shot 60.9%. Bryant single-handedly outscored the Raptors 55-41 in the second half, helping the Lakers overturn an 18-point deficit.
15 years ago today 💜💛
Kobe Bryant, 81 points. https://t.co/6lW5SdM9te
#6 Devin Booker
Devin Booker scored 70 points for the Phoenix Suns in a 130-120 loss against the Boston Celtics on the road, on March 24, 2018, shooting 52.5%. Booker became the youngest player (20 years, 145 days) to score 70 in a game. He joined Wilt Chamberlain and David Thompson as the only players to score 70 points in a losing cause.
On this day in 2017, Devin Booker went OFF for 70 points 🤯
The youngest to ever do it 🔥 https://t.co/PR0Oc89hQ8
#7 Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell scored 71 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 145-134 OT win over the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 2, 2023. Mitchell shot 64.7% and had 11 assists and eight rebounds. The Cavs were down three with three seconds left when Mitchell was fouled. Mitchell connected on one free throw and purposely missed the second to secure possession.
Mitchell got to the ball before any other player after it bounced off the rim as he tipped it in and sent the game into overtime. Mitchell scored 13 points in OT to pass the 70-point mark.
71 PTS
8 REB
11 AST
W
Donovan Mitchell sets a new scoring record for the Cleveland Cavaliers and becomes only the 7th player in NBA history to score 70+ points in a game. https://t.co/qbOwr3sqyH
#8 Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard joined the 70-point club on Sunday during the Portland Trail Blazers' 131-114 win over the Houston Rockets. Lillard dropped 71 points on 57.9% shooting. He went 13-of-22 from the 3-point range, which was also a career-high effort. Lillard's previous best 3-point shooting night was against the Warriors in 2020, when he made 11.
#9 Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid became the ninth NBA player to drop 70 points in a game. He did on Jan. 22, 2024, against the San Antonio Spurs. Embiid had 70 points, 18 rebounds and five assists on 24-of-41 shots. He went 21-of-23 from the free-throw line. Embiid was the reigning league MVP when he achieved this career-high effort, which is also a franchise record. Embiid took only 37 minutes to score 70 points.
#10 Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic became the 10th NBA player to score 70 points in a game. He achieved the feat against the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 26, 2024, with 73 points. It is Doncic's career-high effort and a Dallas Mavericks franchise record.
Doncic became the second player in the 2023-24 NBA season after Embiid to score 70 points in a game. Doncic took only 33 attempts. He missed eight shots while hitting eight 3s. Doncic's 73-point outing is the fourth-highest scoring effort in NBA history. He trails only Wilt Chamberlain (100 and 78-point games) and Kobe Bryant (81 points).