On the week that marked the anniversary of Kobe Bryant scoring 81 points in a game, Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic both came only a few buckets shy of matching his total.
The reigning MVP scored 70 points during the Philadelphia 76ers' 133-123 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, becoming just the ninth player in league history to reach the single-game milestone.
Embiid shot 24-for-41 from the field, including 1-for-2 from three, and made 21 of 23 free throw attempts in what tied for the 12th highest-scoring performance in NBA history.
And he nearly had company on the same night, with Karl Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves scoring 43 first-half points but finishing with "only" a career-high 62.
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Then, on Friday, Doncic dropped 73 points against the Atlanta Hawks, in a performance that tied for fourth in NBA history.
Last season marked the first time in the same season that two different players scored 70-plus points in a single game after Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell each reached the milestone with 71-point games just 55 days apart.
The key words there being different players. Wilt Chamberlain scored 70-plus points in a game twice over a 13-day span in 1962. Chamberlain has accounted for six of the NBA's 70-plus point games, including his single-game record of 100 points.
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Here's a look at the offensive masterpieces that make up the NBA's top individual scoring games....
1. Wilt Chamberlain, 100 points - March 2, 1962
We've all seen the photo of Wilt Chamberlain holding up the piece of paper with a "100" written on it. That's about the only visual that exists from that triple-digit, record-setting performance. Chamberlain shot 36-for-63 from the field, setting the record for most shots made and attempted in a single game, and went 28-for-32 from the free throw line in the Philadelphia Warriors' 169-147 win over the New York Knicks. He scored 59 points in the second half, which remains a record for points in a half, en route to setting a record that is unlikely to be broken.
2. Kobe Bryant, 81 points - Jan. 22, 2006
Only one other NBA player has surpassed the 80-point milestone: Kobe Bryant. He scored 81 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 122-104 win over the Toronto Raptors, at the time becoming just the fourth player not named Wilt Chamberlain, and the second guard, to score more than 70 in a game. Bryant shot 28-for-46 from the field, including 7 of 13 from three, and went 18-for-20 from the free throw line, knocking down his final two attempts with 43.4 seconds remaining. Bryant scored 27 points in the third quarter and 28 in the fourth, accounting for all but 18 of the Lakers' second-half points.
3. Wilt Chamberlain, 78 points - Dec. 8, 1961
When Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game, he broke the previous scoring record held by...Wilt Chamberlain. He first set the record in 1961 by scoring 78 points in the Warriors' 151-147 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Chamberlain shot 31-for-62 and went 16 of 31 from the stripe to top the single-game scoring record of 71 points held by Elgin Baylor. Chamberlain also grabbed 43 rebounds in the loss.
T-4. Luka Doncic, 73 points - Jan. 26, 2024
In a historic week in the NBA that saw players reach 70 points twice, Doncic stood out by besting Joel Embiid's 70 points with 73. First, the Dallas Mavericks star shot 25 of 33 from the field, 8-for-13 from 3-point range and 15 of 16 from the free throw line on a Friday night game on the road against the Atlanta Hawks. The 24-year-old five-time All-Star had already scored 60 points in a game in 2022, but 73 points is a whole other level. The feat ties him with several of the game's all-time greats: David Thomson, Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant. And, did I mention, he's only 24 years old.
T-4. David Thompson, 73 points - April 9, 1978
Alongside Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant and Doncic in the 73-point club is David Thompson of the Denver Nuggets. The Hall of Famer got the green light during a 139-137 loss to the Detroit Pistons in the final game of the regular season while in a scoring race with George Gervin of the San Antonio Spurs. Thompson, who averaged 22.7 points per game during his career, went 28 of 38 from the field and 17 of 20 from the line for what at the time was the NBA's second non-Chamberlain 70-plus point game. Thompson and Gervin both finished at 27.2 per game, with the scoring title tiebreaker of total points going to Gervin.
T-4. Wilt Chamberlain, 73 points - Nov. 16, 1962 and Jan. 13, 1962
Wilt Chamberlain scored 70-plus points in a single game four times during the 1962 calendar year. The first came on Jan. 13 in the Warriors 135-117 win over the Chicago Packers as Chamberlain shot 29-for-48 from the field and 15-for-25 from the line. The last came on Nov. 16 in a 127-111 win over the New York Knicks with Chamberlain shooting 29-for-43 and making 15 of 19 free throw attempts. At the time, that gave Chamberlain the five highest single-game scoring performances in league history.
7. Wilt Chamberlain, 72 points - Nov. 3, 1962
Only one player has scored 70-plus points in a single game twice in one season. And that was...well, you already know the answer to that. Chamberlain shot 29-for-48 from the field and 14 of 18 from the line in his 72-point performance during the Warriors 127-115 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Chamberlain topped that 13 days later with a 73-point game (see previous paragraph).
T-8. Damian Lillard, 71 points - Feb. 26, 2023
It was Dame Time for four quarters. Lillard became the NBA's first point guard to enter the 70-point club when he put on an outside shooting exhibition in the Portland Trail Blazers' 131-114 win over the Houston Rockets. Lillard went 22-for-38 from the field, including 13 of 22 from three, which was one make shy of matching the NBA's single-game record of 14 held by Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors. Dame also made all 14 of his free throw attempts, matching Donovan Mitchell, Elgin Baylor and David Robinson for the eighth-most points scored in a game in NBA history.
T-8. Donovan Mitchell, 71 points - Jan. 2, 2023
The NBA hadn't had a scoring performance of this magnitude since Kobe Bryant's iconic performance nearly 17 years prior. Donovan Mitchell hit a circus shot to force overtime and then scored 13 points in the extra session to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 145-134 win over the Chicago Bulls. Mitchell went 22-for-34 from the field, connecting on 7 of 15 three-point attempts, and went 20-for-25 from the line. He added a career-high 11 assists, meaning he scored or assisted on 99 points, the second most in an NBA game behind Chamberlain's 100-point performance.
T-8. David Robinson, 71 points - April 24, 1994
David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs entered the final game of the 1993-1994 season trailing a young Orlando Magic center named Shaquille O'Neal for the scoring title by percentage points. That changed after Robinson dropped 71 points by shooting 26-of-41 from the field and 18-for-25 from the line in the Spurs' 112-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Robinson finished the season averaging 29.8 points to top O'Neal, who averaged 29.3, and won his lone scoring title.
T-8. Elgin Baylor, 71 points - Nov. 15, 1960
The last player before Wilt Chamberlain to hold the NBA's single-game scoring record was Elgin Baylor. Baylor scored 71 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 123-108 win over the New York Knicks, which remains the highest scoring individual performance in the history of Madison Square Garden, new or old. Baylor went 28-for-48 from the field and 15-for-19 from the line. That broke Baylor's own single-game scoring record of 64 points, which he set in 1959 after breaking the previous high of 63 points set by Philadelphia Warriors Hall of Famer Joe Fulks in 1949.
T-12. Devin Booker, 70 points - March 24, 2017
At just 20 years old, Devin Booker became the youngest NBA player to record a 70-point game. He nearly doubled his previous career-high of 39 points after shooting 21-for-40, including 4 of 11 from three, and going 24-for-25 from the free throw line in the Phoenix Suns' 130-120 loss to the Boston Celtics. Booker scored 51 points in the second half, tying Michael Jordan's NBA record of 20 made free throws in a half.
T-12. Wilt Chamberlain, 70 points - March 10, 1963
This was the sixth and final 70-plus point games of Wilt Chamberlain’s career. He shot 27-for-38 from the field and connected on 16 of 22 free throw attempts in the San Francisco Warriors' 163-148 loss to the Syracuse Nationals. The closest Chamberlain would get to 70 again would be in 1967 when he scored 68 points in a game for the Philadelphia 76ers, one of his 32 60-plus point games in his career.
T-12. Joel Embiid, 70 points - January 22, 2024
No player in NBA history scored 70 points in a game in fewer minutes than Joel Embiid. The reigning MVP needed just 37 minutes to reach the milestone during the Philadelphia 76ers' 133-123 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Embiid had 59 points through three quarters before checking in midway through the fourth and scoring six of the next eight points for the Sixers. Embiid scored his 70th point on a layup in transition, becoming the ninth NBA player to join the 70-point club. He shot 24-for-41 from the field, including 1-for-2 from three, and made 21 of 23 free throw attempts. He added 18 rebounds and five assists, again, in just 37 minutes. Prior to Embiid, the fewest minutes needed to score 70 points in a single game was 39 by Damian Lillard.
