20 NBA Players Who Scored The Most Points In A Single Playoff Game

The NBA players are not for the weak or the light-hearted. The scramble toward the end of the season is where NBA players can make or break their legacies as well as earn new and better opportunities within the association itself. Everything that a team has worked for all season long, and in most cases longer, comes down to a grueling stretch to determine an NBA champion. Along the way to crowning the last 75 NBA champions, there have been a certain set of players who did more for their teams to reach that goal, and they did it with their ability to put their teams on their backs on the offensive end of the court. 

In the past, you have seen us speak about the active players with the most PPG in the NBA playoffs or even the ones with the most total points in the NBA playoffs. Today, we switch gears to single out the best overall single-game performances turned in by NBA superstars. To be more specific, the highest-scoring games in NBA playoff history. Some of these performances led to NBA championships and Finals MVP awards, while others still weren’t enough to help advance their teams to the next round. The context behind these games is captivating, and we intend to break every aspect of them down.

These are the 20 players who scored the most points in a single NBA playoff game.

T20. Jerry West – 52 Points

Game Stats: 52 PTS, 5 REB, 9 AST

It should be a shock to no one that Jerry West is on this list, and it will not be the last time we see him either. West’s first high-scoring performance on this list comes from the 1965 Western Division Finals, where West’s Lakers took on the Washington Bullets. For the 1964-65 season, West averaged 31.0 PPG on 49.7% shooting while leading the Lakers to a 49-31 record and the first seed in the Western Division.

West’s Big performance would come in Game 2 of the series against the Bullets, which the Lakers would win by 3 points and take a 2-0 series lead. West shot 16-38 from the field and 20-21 from the foul line to help the Lakers take home the win. The Lakers would win the series in six games over the Bullets, with West averaging 46.3 PPG for the series. The Lakers would then go on to lose in the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics in five games, much like West did for most of his career.

T20. Allen Iverson – 52 Points

Game Stats: 52 PTS, 2 REB, 7 AST, 4 STL, 0 BLK

Allen Iverson was on a different planet during the 2000-01 season, which resulted in an MVP award and the second of four career-scoring titles for Iverson. For the entirety of the season, he averaged 31.1 PPG and led the NBA in steals as well with 2.5 SPG. The Sixers would win 56 games behind Iverson as their leader and with Larry Brown for Coach of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo for Defensive Player of the Year, and Aaron McKie for Sixth Man of the Year.

Back in 2001, the first round of the NBA playoffs was still decided in a best of 5 games format. After winning their first series in four games, the Sixers were set to take on the Raptors in round two, and fans were treated to a duel between superstars Iverson and Vince Carter of Toronto. With the series tied at two games apiece, Iverson would have his second 50-point game of the series while shooting 65.6% from the floor and knocking down 8-14 shots from three. The Sixers would advance to the NBA Finals that season but fall to the Lakers in five games.

T17. Wilt Chamberlain – 53 Points

Game Stats: 53 PTS, 22 REB, 2 AST

Wilt Chamberlain is one of the most dominant players in NBA history, regardless of era and regardless of your view of the past generations. The 1959-60 season was Chamberlain’s rookie season, but the NBA had already been put on notice that Chamberlain was nearly unstoppable. Chamberlain would win MVP and Rookie of the Year for 1960, averaging 37.6 PPG, 27.0 RPG, and playing 46.4 minutes per game. All of those stats led the NBA for the year.

The NBA playoffs were still set in a best-of-three-games format for the first round in 1960, which set the stage for a showdown between Chamberlain’s Warriors and Dolph Schayes’ Syracuse Nationals to kick things off. After the two teams split the first two games, it all came down to Game 3. Chamberlain was dominant as he recorded 53 points on 24-42 shooting overall but just 5-13 from the foul line. The Warriors would win the game by 20 points, also led by a triple-double from Tom Gola but would lose to Boston in six games in the following series.

T17. Jerry West – 53 Points

Game Stats: 53 PTS, 3 REB, 10 AST

See, I told you we would see Jerry West again, and it didn’t take very long. This will also be the final time on this list that we see West as 53 points was his career-high in a playoff game. This next game came in Game 1 of the 1969 NBA Finals, a series in which Jerry West would make history as the only player to ever be named Finals MVP on the losing team while having one of the highest-scoring Finals series ever.

For what seemed like the 100th time during the 1960s, the Lakers would meet the Celtics in the NBA Finals. West and the Lakers worked tirelessly to get out to an early series lead, and it would all come down to West and teammate Elgin Baylor. The Lakers and Celtics would battle, but eventually, West’s 53 points sealed a close 120-118 win. As we all know by now, the Celtics would go on to win the series, but West would be named the inaugural Finals MVP with 37.9 PPG and 7.4 APG.

T17. Isaiah Thomas – 53 Points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OUe8Txmf3Y

Game Stats: 53 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 0 BLK

In one of the most emotionally charged performances in NBA history, Isaiah Thomas set the NBA world on fire with this next performance back in 2017. The 2016-17 season saw Thomas become an MVP candidate and All-NBA Team selection for the only time in his career, as he averaged 28.9 PPG and 5.9 APG on 46.3% shooting from the field. Thomas would lead the Celtics to 53 wins that season and the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Fast forward to the second round of the NBA playoffs, with Isaiah Thomas willing Boston to a first-round victory after learning of his sister’s tragic passing due to an automobile accident. Also battling through a hip injury, Thomas took the court on May 2, 2017, or what would have been his sister’s 23rd birthday. Thomas would go off for Boston scoring 53 points on 18-33 shooting and 12-13 from the foul line. Thomas would help the Celtics reach the Conference Finals, but eventually, the magic wore off for Thomas and the Celtics as they fell to the Cavaliers in five games.

T14. John Havlicek – 54 Points

Game Stats: 54 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST

For the first and only time over the course of this list, we run into John Havlicek with a playoff career-high of 54 points back in 1973. Havlicek would have a decent year for the Celtics by his standards, as he averaged 23.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 6.6 APG for a 68-14 Celtics team. Havlicek was one of the first do-it-all forwards in NBA history and was still carrying those skills in the 11th year of his NBA career as the Celtics cruised toward the NBA playoffs.

Havlicek and the Celtics were set to take on the Atlanta Hawks in round one, which featured Lou Hudson, Pete Maravich, and Walt Bellamy. Havlicek knew he had to get things off to a hot start for Boston, and that is exactly what he would do in Game 1. Havlicek and the Celtics came out and blew the doors off Atlanta with a 25-point win led by Havlicek’s 54 points on 24-36 shooting. The Celtics would eliminate Atlanta in six games but were eliminated in the Conference Finals by the Knicks in seven games. Havlicek and Boston would win an NBA title the following season, with Havlicek winning the only Finals MVP of his career.

T14. Michael Jordan

Game Stats: 54 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK

Michael Jordan is a name we will see a lot of today, but that is bound to happen when you are the greatest scorer, playoff scorer, and player in NBA history. During the 1990s, there weren’t many other rivalries, if any, that NBA fans wanted to tune into more than the one between the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls. There was no love lost between these two, especially when the playoffs rolled around. As the Knicks put up a fight, it became clear that nobody was going to stop 1993 MJ from claiming yet another NBA championship.

After breezing through the first two rounds, the Bulls found themselves down 2-1 to New York after three games. In Game 4, Michael Jordan would not allow his team to fall into an insurmountable deficit. Jordan would go for 54 points on his home floor while shooting 18-30 from the field overall and 6-9 from three-point land. The Bulls would take out the Knicks in six games and go on to win their third straight NBA championship while Michael Jordan captured his third straight Finals MVP award.

T14. Allen Iverson – 54 Points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvBJtvy17aI

Game Stats: 54 Points, 5 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK

Remember when I said that Allen Iverson had two 50-point games in the 2001 second round? Well, we have arrived at the first of those two games, having already discussed his performance in Game 4. To set the stage, Iverson and the Sixers were down 1-0 in the series after losing Game 1 by three points after an abysmal night from Iverson. He shot just 32.4% from the field and turned the ball over four times in the loss. 

Iverson absolutely knew he had to be better in Game 2, and that is exactly what he was. He was much more efficient shooting the ball, going 21-39 from the field or 53.8%. He would also go a perfect 9-9 from the foul line and 3-5 from three to pick up a much-needed win. Of course, the Sixers would win the series and advance to the NBA Finals on Iverson’s back in 2001, only to fall to the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

T8. Rick Barry – 55 Points

Game Stats: 55 PTS, 12 REB, 5 AST

Rick Barry is one of the greatest players in ABA and NBA history. He sits pretty high up on the Golden State Warriors’ GOAT pyramid and is probably the most underrated scorer to ever play the game. To go over Rick Barry’s playoff career-high, we would have to go back to 1967 when the Warriors were still known as San Francisco, and they were locked in a battle with Wilt Chamberlain and the 76ers in the NBA Finals.

The Warriors headed into Game 3 of the 1969 NBA Finals down 2-0 in the series to Philadelphia and in desperate need of a win. Barry would go ballistic going for 55 points on 22-48 shooting and 11-19 from the foul line. Barry and the Warriors also got help from Nate Thurmond to capture a 130-124 win with 17 points and 25 rebounds. The Sixers would go on to win the NBA championship anyway in six games, but on this day, it was all about Barry’s incredible double-nickel performance.

T8. Michael Jordan – 55 Points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AQuOvE7iZQ

Game Stats: 55 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 4 STL, 1 BLK

If you are tired of Michael Jordan and discussing his major scoring accomplishments, I suggest you scroll past the next three players listed. Michael Jordan would record the first 55-point games of his playoff career in 1988, a year that he completely took over the NBA. He won the MVP award, Defensive Player of the Year award, and his second of 10 career-scoring titles this season while leading the Bulls to the playoffs once again. He averaged 35.0 PPG on 53.5% shooting while leading the NBA in steals with 3.5 SPG and minutes played with 40.4.

This 55-point game would come in the first round of the 1988 playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who Jordan tortured during his career. Already up 1-0, Jordan was not going to let his first chance at getting out of the first round slip away. Jordan would go for 55 points on 24-45 shooting which, although it seems like a lot of shots, he shot over 50.0% for the game. He would also hit all seven of his free throws and grab 4 steals to secure the win. Of course, the Bulls would get past the Cavaliers but fall to the Detroit Pistons later on in the playoffs.

T8. Michael Jordan – 55 Points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuQzOGVv0EY

Game Stats: 55 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK

The next time that Michael Jordan would go for exactly 55 points again would be five years later in 1993. This time, the performance came on the biggest stage of them all, the NBA Finals, where Jordan’s Bulls took on the Phoenix Suns led by MVP Charles Barkley. Losing out on MVP was all the motivation that Jordan needed to punish Phoenix in the Finals, and that is exactly what he would do with the highest PPG average for a Finals series ever.

It would not be until Game 4 that we would see Jordan’s famous 55 against the Suns, but it was well worth the wait. Jordan would get to his 55 points by going 21-37 from the field and 13-18 from the foul line to down the Suns 111-105. The Suns would get a win in Game 5 to force a Game 6 before falling to Chicago and squandering Barkley’s best chance at an NBA championship. Jordan would become an NBA champion for a third time as well as a Finals MVP for a third time, becoming the first team since the 60s Celtics to three-peat as NBA champions.

T8. Michael Jordan – 55 Points

Game Stats: 55 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK

This will be the final time we see Michael Jordan score exactly 55 points in the NBA playoffs but certainly not the last time he will appear overall. Jordan’s final 55-point game would come in the 1997 playoffs, another year in which he was snubbed for the MVP award. Jordan would get his revenge later in the Finals, but there was business to take care of first. Jordan and the Bulls had just followed up their fourth NBA title and 72-win season with 69 wins and a number one seed for the playoffs.

It wouldn’t take long for teams to realize they had no shot to defeat the Bulls as Jordan put on this 55-point performance against the Washington Bullets in Game 2 of the first round. Jordan would go 22-35 shooting from the field against the Bullets and score 55 points with the help of only 10 free throws and 1-2 shooting from three. The Bulls would go on to sweep the Bullets and eventually take home their fifth NBA championship over the Utah Jazz. Michael Jordan would be named Finals MVP yet again, giving him nine MVPs and Finals MVPs combined at that point.

T8. Allen Iverson – 55 Points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhn0Z56Z_qg

Game Stats: 55 Points, 4 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK

Once again, we find ourselves dissecting a high-scoring affair turned in by Allen Iverson in the NBA playoffs. Fortunately for you, this will be the last time we discuss him as well. This time, we take a look at the 2002-03 season in which Iverson averaged 27.6 PPG and won his third straight steals title with 2.7 SPG. The Sixers would win 48 games and head into the playoffs to face the New Orleans Hornets in the first round.

In the very first game of the first round, Iverson tried to set the tone for himself and his team for the remainder of the NBA playoffs. Iverson came out and got his 55 points on 21-32 shooting from the field and 3-5 from three-point land. He would also knock down 10 of his 11 free throws as the Sixers jumped out to an early 1-0 series lead. After defeating the Hornets in six games, the Sixers would fall to the Pistons in six games in the second round to be eliminated from contention.

T8. Damian Lillard – 55 Points

Game Stats: 55 Points, 6 REB, 10 AST, 1 STL, 3 BLK

For the final playoff performance with exactly 55 points, we have to go back just two seasons to the 2021 NBA playoffs. Damian Lillard is widely regarded as one of the best three-point shooters ever, as well as the second-greatest three-point shooting point guard ever. By 2021, Lillard was already known as a superstar and clutch playoff performer with numerous buzzer-beaters and long-range series enders that will live on forever in NBA history.

The table was set for a bloodbath between Lillard’s Trail Blazers and MVP Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets in the 2021 first round. It was Game 5, with the series all square at two games apiece and the Nuggets looking to defend their home court. The game would end up being one of the best first-round games in recent memory, going to double overtime with the Nuggets taking the win and eventually the series. Lillard did all he could to tip the series in Portland’s favor with 55 points on 17-24 shooting overall and a ridiculous 12-17 from three. The Nuggets would take the series in Game 6, and Portland hasn’t been back to the playoffs since.

T4. Wilt Chamberlain – 56 Points

Game Stats: 56 PTS, 35 REB, 1 AST

Wilt Chamberlain is one of six different players to record at least 56 points in a playoff game in NBA history. This performance came during a historic 1962 season that saw Wilt set the NBA record for PPG in a season with 50.4 and for minutes played with 48.5 minutes per game. Chamberlain’s 1962 season led to 49 wins and 31 losses for the Warriors, which was good for second in the East heading into the NBA playoffs.

In the first round of the 1962 playoffs, Chamberlain and the Warriors would meet a familiar foe in the Syracuse Nationals in a best of five games series. After splitting the first four games, the Warriors returned home for a crucial Game 5. Wilt would give the Nationals no chance to send him packing as he would go for 56 points on 22-48 shooting and 12-27 from the foul line while also grabbing 35 rebounds in a 17-point blowout. Once again, the Celtics would end Chamberlain’s playoff run in the Conference Finals in seven games.

T4. Michael Jordan – 56 Points

Game Stats: 56 PTS, 5 Reb, 5 AST, 4 STL, 2 BLK

Yeah, I know, things are getting a bit redundant with Michael Jordan littered throughout this list, but what else did you expect? Jordan’s 56-point game came after a 1992 season that arguably yielded the best team the Bulls ever had. Yes, even better than 1996. Jordan would capture the third MVP award of his career in 1992 while averaging 30.1 PPG winning his sixth straight scoring title and leading the Bulls to 67 wins.

In their quest to repeat as NBA champions, the Bulls would have to go through the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. With a 2-0 series lead, Jordan took no time to let his foot off the gas on the road in Miami. He would go for 56 points on 20-30 shooting from the field and 16-18 from the foul line. The sweep was complete as the Bulls marched toward their second NBA championship, which they would win a few short weeks later.

T4. Charles Barkley – 56 Points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuR-GbZma1Q

Game Stats: 56 PTS, 14 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 1 BLK

When the 1994 season rolled around, Charles Barkley and the Suns were still reeling from their Finals loss to the Bulls at the end of 1993. Barkley was determined to get back there in 1994 and knew he had a real chance at a title, considering Jordan had retired after the death of his father. The Suns would finish with 56 wins in 1994 behind Barkley’s team-leading 21.6 PPG and 11.2 RPG.

Barkley and the Suns found themselves in a first-round matchup with Rookie of the Year Chris Webber and the Golden State Warriors. The Suns would make quick work of the Warriors, taking the first two games of the series with ease. In Game 3, Barkley would explode to close it out, going 23-31 from the floor, including 2-6 from three and taking just 9 free throws. With the sweep complete, the Suns had a successful beginning to their mission to get back back to the Finals. Unfortunately, they would lose to the eventual NBA champion Houston Rockets in the next round in seven games.

T4. Jimmy Butler – 56 Points

Game Stats: 56 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK

Jimmy Butler is the newest member of the 56-point club in the NBA playoffs, joining up just a few days ago in Miami’s first-round matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. All season long, we have heard how Butler cannot do it alkaline and how the Miami Heat are doomed for the NBA playoffs. I couldn’t blame anyone for thinking that, considering the Heat barely made it in the playoffs while the Bucks are the best team in the East led by the best player in the world.

Nobody gave Butler the memo. The Heat were staring down the barrel of a 2-2 series with the return of Giannis to the Bucks’ lineup from injury, prompting a late Game 4 lead for Milwaukee. Butler would explode in the game and fourth quarter for 56 points on 19-28 shooting and 15-18 from the foul line. Instead of the Bucks being right back on track, they are now facing one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history, down 3-1 to Miami as the number one seed.

3. Donovan Mitchell – 57 Points

Game Stats: 57 PTS, 9 REB, 7 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK

During the 2020 season, the NBA had everything from a wide-open MVP race to a shutdown of the season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When the NBA came to a decision to start their season again in a bubble format at Disney World, the stars jumped at the opportunity to get back on the court. One of these stars was Utah Jaxx standout Donovan Mitchell who would put on a show during the Bubble and hasn’t stopped since.

For Mitchell, who is now with the Cavaliers, it was his third appearance in the playoffs with the Jazz, and they were matched up with the Denver Nuggets led by Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. Murray and Mitchell would battle all series long, and it started with a Game 1 masterpiece from both of them. Mitchell would drop 57 points on 19-33 shooting from the field, which included 6-15 from three. He would also knock down all 15 of his free throws, but it wasn’t enough. The Nuggets would win 135-125 behind 36 points from Murray and would eventually take the series in seven games.

2. Elgin Baylor – 61 Points

Game Stats: 61 PTS, 22 REB, 1 AST

Elgin Baylor is one of the great players in NBA history whose legacy has suffered due to ring culture. Baylor played an enormous role in the Lakers’ moving from Minneapolis to Los Angeles during the early 60s and became one of the great small forwards to ever grace the court. Baylor appeared in seven NBA Finals in his career for the Lakers but had the unfortunate record of 0-7 to never claim an NBA title. To make things worse, the Lakers would finally win one the season after Baylor retired in 1973.

One of those NBA Finals appearances for Baylor and the Lakers came in 1962 against the Boston Celtics. Baylor and the Lakers found themselves in a pivotal Game 5 in which the winner would be just one win away from an NBA championship. Baylor would come out and fire up 46 shots connecting on 22 of them while also hitting on 17-19 free throws. The Lakers would take the win, and the series lead over Boston heading into Game 6. Unfortunately, the Lakers would fold in the next two games, and the Celtics would be crowned NBA champions once again.

1. Michael Jordan – 63 Points

Game Stats: 63 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL, 2 BLK

Add another record to the tally for Michael Jordan as he remains the NBA single-game leading scorer with 63 points. Jordan accomplished this feat back in the 1986 season against the Boston Celtics in the very first round of the playoffs. The 1985-86 Bulls were nothing special whatsoever, led By Orlando Woolridge and a much older George Gervin. Jordan would play only 18 games in 1985-86 due to a broken foot and an infamous time limit placed on his playing time.

Jordan returned just in time for the NBA playoffs as the Bulls squeaked in in the final days of the season. His unfortunate reward was a date with the Boston Celtics, who were led by three-time MVP Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, among others. After dropping Game 1, Jordan saved his best performance for Game 2 where he would go for 63 points on 22-41 shooting and 19-21 from the foul line. As the game moved into double overtime, the Celtics’ experience reigned supreme, and ultimately, they pulled away with a win. Despite the outcome, this did prompt Larry Bird to utter the famous words, “That wasn’t Michael Jordan, that was God disguised as Michael Jordan.” 

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