There is more to the game than just scoring. We have rebounders, playmakers, and shot-blockers. With that said, the offense is the most appealing part of the NBA. From three-point shots, transition dunks, and tough step-backs, the offensive part of the game will always rule the day when it comes to professional basketball. The league owns some very talented players that have scored plenty of points. Take Wilt Chamberlain, the man that set the NBA record for points with 100 in a game.
- John Stockton – 34 Points
- Bill Russell – 37 Points
- Chris Paul – 43 Points
- Gary Payton – 44 Points
- Chris Bosh – 44 Points
- Julius Erving – 45 Points
- Kawhi Leonard – 45 Points
- Magic Johnson – 46 Points
- Grant Hill – 46 Points
- Dwight Howard – 46 Points
- Kevin Garnett – 47 Points
- Scottie Pippen – 47 Points
- Isiah Thomas – 47 Points
- Steve Nash – 48 Points
- Paul George – 48 Points
- Next
- NBA Superstars And Legends Who Never Scored 60+ Points In A Game
- 15 Best NBA Players Who Spent Their Entire Career With One Team
- Every NBA Team’s Best Player In The 1990s
- Isiah Thomas’ Career Record vs. NBA Legends: He Leads Against Michael Jordan, But Larry Bird Was His Kryptonite
- John Stockton’s Assists Per Game For Each Season: His All-Time Assists Record Is Impossible To Break
Getting halfway there is a struggle. There are only a handful of players to ever accomplish that. We have seen players like Giannis Antetokounmpo. Kyrie Irving, Karl-Anthony Towns, Trae Young, and Luka Doncic hit the 50-point threshold in recent memory. There are Hall of Famers that never hit the 50-point mark. Some current superstars have not done it either. When going through this list, it might shock you to see their name here.
Here are 15 players who have never scored 50 or more points in a game.
John Stockton – 34 Points
The greatest passer in NBA history might have dished out some sick assists in his time. That took away from him throwing the ball into the basket. Since Stockton was too busy throwing the ball to his teammates, his best scoring night was 34 points. The first time came during the 1989 playoffs, but the Jazz ultimately lost to the Warriors 120-106 in the first round. The second time was the next season when he scored 34 points in a 122-109 loss to the Kings.
Bill Russell – 37 Points
The greatest rebounder in the history of the game was a modest scorer at best. Russell was the Achilles heel to Chamberlain. While Chamberlain was outscoring out of his mind, Russell was using defense and rebounding to help his team win championships. Russell’s best night came two times. One time, Russell scored 37 points on a night where he made 17 of 34 attempts to go with 25 rebounds against the Warriors in 1961. Another time came against the Lakers in 1967, where Russell made 17 of 23 field goals to go with 19 rebounds.
Chris Paul – 43 Points
With all of his playmaking and defense, Paul has never had enough to get to the 50-point mark. Paul scored 43 points two times, and both were with the New Orleans Hornets. One came in the 2007-08 season, and the other time was the following season. Paul’s best performance came during a 118-116 overtime win over the Grizzlies. Paul made 15 of 27 field goals and dished out nine assists.
Gary Payton – 44 Points
If you were the SuperSonics, you couldn’t ask for much more on this night in 2001. Payton shot 60% from the field, which included 18 of 30 from the field. He made two of five three-point attempts and six of nine at the free-throw line. Payton played 53 minutes and also recorded nine assists and seven steals. Payton reached 40 or more points six times in his career.
Chris Bosh – 44 Points
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU0AK0L18UI
Before Bosh joined the Heat, he was a talented scorer in his own right. Bosh reached at least 40 points 10 times in his career, and nine of those times came when he played for the Raptors. Bosh scored his career-high 44 points while playing for the Raptors in 2010. Bosh shot 15 of 26 from the field and made 14 of 15 attempts at the line. A handful of shots would have gotten him to the 50-point club, but he shot 57.7% from the field that night.
Julius Erving – 45 Points
While Erving shot 50% from the field on the night he scored 45 points, he likely regrets this game just a bit when you look at the stats. Erving made 16 of his 32 shots from the field. His 13 of 17 shooting at the free throw line was great. A free throw and two extra shots would have pushed Erving to the 50-point mark. Instead, he came up just short. Funny enough, he came up just short of a double-double as well in this game against the Celtics in 1980. His nine rebounds were another miss from the night.
Kawhi Leonard – 45 Points
There are five occasions that Leonard scored more than 40 points in a game. Two of those times came with the Raptors and Clippers, while the other came with the Spurs. His best night came during the 2019-20 season when he scored 45 points with the Raptors against the Jazz. Leonard shot 16 of 22 from the field and made 13 of 17 attempts at the free-throw line. He missed all three of his three-point field goal attempts, though.
Magic Johnson – 46 Points
Getting others the ball was a mission that Johnson employed each night. With that said, he was a tough player to stop around the rim. While he was a unicorn in his own right, he never scored 50 points in a game. Johnson scored 40 or more points six times in his career. On this night, Johnson nearly scored a triple-double but came one assist short. He finished with 46 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists in a 127-117 win over the Kings.
Grant Hill – 46 Points
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuufWFs9OLU
With the skills Hill had, one would have figured he would have reached 50 points at least once. Instead, the best game he had was 46 points against Washington in 1999. Hill shot 14 of 21 from the field, including 18 of 22 at the free throw line. Hill could have made a couple more shots, but he shot 66% from the field. In four of the five games where Hill recorded 40 or more points, he shot 50% or better.
Dwight Howard – 46 Points
For a man that doesn’t shoot any threes, getting to 50 points was a tough task. Howard nearly pulled it off, though, by reaching 45 points two times. The first time came in 2009 when he made 16 of 23 field goals. That included making 13 of 18 at the free-throw line. The night he should have scored 50 points or more came in 2012. Howard finished the game with 45 points and 23 rebounds, but the stats tell the whole story. He shot 12 of 21 from the field and made 21 of 39 free throw attempts. That’s a lot of points left on the board, so there is no excuse for why Howard is outside of the club. His best night came in the playoffs in 2011, when he scored 46 points in a loss to the Hawks. Howard made 14 of 22 free throws at the line while shooting 16 of 23 from the field.
Kevin Garnett – 47 Points
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wub5ZpMyQ8
Garnett scored 40 or more points four times in his career but never made it to 50 points. His career night of 47 points game against the Suns in 2005. He finished the night shooting 19 of 28 from the field, including 9 of 11 at the line, and 17 rebounds. Thanks to 34 points from Amar’e Stoudemire, the Suns were able to take the win 122-115.
Scottie Pippen – 47 Points
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YYzfVyOB8U
It was a rare night when Michael Jordan fed Scottie Pippen instead of the other way around. Normally, it was Pippen watching Jordan tally a large number of points and taking all of the shots. On this night, Pippen nearly doubled the point total of 27 from his teammate. Pippen shot 19 of 27 from the field and made all seven free throws. He made two three-point field goals out of five attempts. Had one of those missed threes gone through the hoop, he could have been a part of the exclusive 50-point club.
Isiah Thomas – 47 Points
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H4MO_BIS8Y
The all-time Pistons great doesn’t own the single-game scoring record. That belongs to Jerry Stackhouse, who scored 57 points in a game in 2001. Reaching 50 points was something Thomas never accomplished. He reached 47 points in 1983 in 52 minutes, shooting 18 of 34 from the field. However, Thomas could have reached 50 points this night. He shot a dismal 10 of 19 from the free-throw line. Thomas owns a career free throw average of 75.9%. This night was just not the night.
Steve Nash – 48 Points
Nash was a double-double machine as a point guard, which means he was handing out plenty of assists to the likes of Amar’e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion during his Suns days. Three times he clipped at least 40 points, and two of those times were the season after his second MVP Award. Both times came in December 2006. The first came on December 7, where he made 16 of 25 field goal attempts, including 13 of 16 free throws. He also made six of seven three-point field goals. The next time came on December 22, where he made 14 of 25 attempts, including 7 of 15 attempts from three-point range and seven of nine free throws. His best game of 48 points came during the 2005 Western Conference Semifinals. Nash provided 48 points, but the team lost to the Mavericks 119-109.
Paul George – 48 Points
Reaching the 40-point mark is something George is very good at. He has reached at least 40 points in a game 19 times. When George played for the Thunder during the 2018-19 season, he reached 47 points two times. His best scoring game came when he played with the Pacers during the 2015-16 season. George shot 15 of 27 from the field. That included 8 for 11 from three-point range and 10 of 13 at the free-throw line. The Pacers ultimately lost the 122-19 game to the Jazz in overtime.
