The NBA’s scoring has exploded so far this season, especially among the league’s stars.
Already, 17 players have scored 50 or more points this season, the most the league has seen during the month of January since 1963, according to ESPN Stats & Information Research.
The NBA could be on track for a historic number of 50-point performances by the end of the season if this trend continues. There are now 17 50-point games out of 729 games played this season (42.88 50-point games). By the end of the season, it would be the highest rate for 50-point games since the 1965-66 season when it was one in 40 games, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
But with so much of the season left, there will be opportunities for other players, whether they’re superstars like LeBron James Or even a lesser-known underdog, to capitalize on this season’s interesting scoring trend.
Here’s a look at every player who scored at least 50 points in a game this season and the circumstances behind their special nights:
Lillard managed 50 points before the third quarter even ended in the Portland Trail Blazers’ 134-124 win over the Utah Jazz. Lillard’s performance featured nine three-pointers, which moved him ahead of Vince Carter to sixth for most three-pointers made of all time. Lillard also now has the top five finishers in Trail Blazers history.
Jason Tatum, 51 points, January 16, 2023
Tatum got his final roar of MVP cheers from the Boston Celtics crowd on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with his 51-point performance, which he capped off with a 17-pointer in the fourth quarter of a 130-118 win over the Charlotte Hornets. It was the fifth 50-point performance of Tatum’s career, according to ESPN Stats & Information Research.
Damian Lillard, 50 points, January 12, 2023
Lillard did everything he could with 50 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it wasn’t enough to bring his team a victory as the Portland Trail Blazers fell to Cleveland 119-113. For Lillard, it was the third time in his career that he’d scored 50 or more points in a loss, the most recent being his 51-point performance in a 129-121 overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019.
Giannis Antitekounmo, 55 points, January 3, 2023
Antetokounmpo set his new career high with his 55-point performance in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 123-113 win over the Washington Wizards. It wasn’t a one-dimensional performance for the former MVP either, as he also added 10 rebounds and seven assists. For Antetokounmpo, it was his third consecutive game with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists.
Thompson was the hero in the Golden State Warriors’ thrilling 143-141 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks with 54 points, helping Golden State make up for Stephen Curry’s absence at the time. It was an emotional moment for Thompson, as it was the most points he’s scored since returning from a lengthy injury layoff that began with a torn ACL in the 2019 Finals and an Achilles tendon injury before the start of the 2020-21 season. season.
Mitchell turned the NBA season on its head with a historic 71-point performance in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 145-134 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls. The sparkling performance set the Cavaliers franchise record for most points in a single game and was the most points scored in any NBA game since Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. Mitchell became just the seventh player in NBA history across this mark, joining Bryant, Wilt ChamberlainAnd Elgin BaylorAnd David Robinson and Devin Booker.
Luka Doncic, 51 points, December 31, 2022
Doncic’s third 50-point performance helped the Dallas Mavericks win their sixth straight with a 126-125 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on New Year’s Eve. Doncic finished off the game with two rebounds and two free throws in the last 4.5 seconds to seal a huge win over a Spurs team looking to break the Mavericks’ hot streak.
Luka Doncic, 60 points, December 27, 2022
Doncic made NBA history when he scored 60 points in the 126-121 overtime victory over the New York Knicks. His career-best 60 points was actually only one piece of the puzzle, as he also grabbed 21 rebounds and handed out 10 assists to become the first player in NBA history to record 60 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game.
Luka Doncic, 50 points, December 23, 2022
Doncic started off his week off with a blazing 50-point performance to help the Mavericks overtake the Houston Rockets in a 112-106 win. His 50 points were a season-best at the time, and he paired them with 10 assists and 8 rebounds, only missing two more triple rebounds. “Sometimes you know you’re going to take more shots than usual,” Doncic told reporters after the match. “When you feel hot, you feel like everything is going in.”
Siakam had a total of 34 points in the second and third quarters, including Toronto’s final 17 points over seven minutes in the third in a 113-106 win over the New York Knicks. He limited the New York Seacam to one field goal in the fourth quarter and held it to nine points in the period. Siakam’s 52 points — the second-most in a game in Raptors history — was the most by an opposing player at Madison Square Garden since James Harden He was 61 in 2019.
Devin Booker, 58 points, Dec. 17, 2022
Booker scored 25 straight points for the Suns starting at the 3:30 mark of the third quarter to the 7:43 mark of the fourth quarter in a 118-114 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. “The only person who could have stopped him tonight was me taking him out of the game,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. Booker’s 58 points was the third most of his career, and the most triumphant of all time. It was the fifth 50-point game of Booker’s career, and at 26 years, 48 days, he became the youngest player to record five 50-point games of his career since Kobe Bryant, whose fifth was at 24 years, 217 days. .
Joel Embiid, 53 points, Dec. 11, 2022
Embiid sang the MVP songs during the 131-113 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Embiid became the third player in Sixers history to have multiple 50-point games in the same season, joining the Sixers Alan Iverson (2000-01 and 2004-05) and Wilt Chamberlain (1965-66 and 1967-68). It is also the 30th game in Embiid’s career, with 40 points and 10 rebounds. The only other player in franchise history to achieve this feat is Chamberlain. “The ball just found me,” Embiid said. “I thought we moved the ball around well all night and the ball just found me.”
Anthony Davis, 55 points, Dec. 4, 2022
Davis’ performance in a 130-119 win over the Washington Wizards was one of the 11-year veteran’s best performances. It was the second most points he ever scored, and the most he had in a Lakers uniform when he joined Shaquille O’Neal as the only Lakers to have back-to-back games with 40 points and 10+ rebounds. . It’s been three decades since any NBA player put up a baseline of 50 or more points, 15 or more rebounds and three or more blocks while connecting on at least 70% of his shot attempts, as Davis (73% from the field ) Reflected 50 points by Patrick Ewing on 71% shooting, 15 rebounds and three blocks returned by the New York Knicks star on December 1, 1990.
Devin Booker, 51 points, November 30, 2022
Booker scored a season-high 51 points in just three quarters in a 132-113 win over the Chicago Bulls. Booker scored 25 points in the first half and grabbed another 26 in a stellar third quarter that included 10 of 11 shooting. After a contested three-pointer appeared across the network, “MVP! MVP!” Cheers erupted across the center footprint, and the 26-year-old is sure to make case for his early season. “It just felt like a double sized rim there,” Booker said. “If you get up, I’ll go in.”
Stephen Curry, 50 points, November 16, 2022
Curry’s 50-point night wasn’t enough for the struggling Golden State Warriors to beat the Suns. All five Suns players scored in double figures in the 130-119 win. The eight-time All-Star made 17 of 28 shots, and 7 of 11 from 3-point range. Curry was at his best in the first half, making 10 of 13 shots from the field, including 4 of 5 3-pointers. The two-time MVP entered the game averaging about 31 points per game and hit that mark with a free throw near the end of the second quarter.
Garland scored a career-high 51 points – 27 of them in the fourth quarter – and made a career-best 10 3-pointers in a 129-124 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Cleveland played without an injury to Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen. Garland’s point total was briefly the highest in the NBA this season, but nearly an hour later, Philadelphia player Joel Embiid scored 59 in the win over Utah.
Joel Embiid, 59 points, November 13, 2022
After scoring 41 points against the Atlanta Hawks the night before, the 76ers big man scored his career high against the Utah Jazz with 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 blocks in a 105-98 win. Embiid nearly held Philadelphia to victory by scoring 26 of the team’s 27 points in the fourth quarter, along with hitting five of his seven blocked shots in the final period. He became the first player to beat both teams himself in the fourth quarter (26-21) since Tracy McGrady in 2006. Coach Doc Rivers declared, “I’ve never seen a more dominant performance, when you combine offense and defense.”