A full list of every time an NBA player has scored 70 or more points in a game

While scoring 50 points in a game is a rare achievement that often carries a team to victory, scoring up to 70 points in a game is an especially rare feat that has only occurred 16 times throughout the league’s history.

When it comes to the most unbreakable records in sports, one single-game feat has always stood out over the rest. Whether it’s the fame of the man who achieved it or the symmetric nature of the feat itself, Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game continues to live unrivaled today as the league’s greatest-ever single-game performance.

Yet with the Miami Heat already in the news for landing two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in a massive trade, it was hard not think about the guy who will pair up with Giannis in the frontcourt next season – Bam Adebayo.

In what was one of the most spectacularly random feats I’ve ever witnessed across all of sports during my lifetime, Adebayo dropped an incredible 83 points in a blowout win over the Washington Wizards back on March 10, dethroning the late Kobe Bryant as the holder of the second-highest scoring game in league history – a mark he famously set with an 81-point performance on Jan. 22, 2006 in a comeback win over the Toronto Raptors.

While the three aforementioned games remain the only times a player has ever eclipsed 80 points, there have been 16 occasions in which a player has dropped at least 70 – though it’s worth noting that a good chunk of these games can be attributed to Chamberlain, who scored 70 or more six different times in his career.

Here’s a full list of every time an NBA player has dropped at least 70 points in a single game:

1. Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors – 100 points – March 2, 1962 vs. New York Knicks
2. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat – 83 points – March 10, 2026 vs. Washington Wizards
3. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers – 81 points – Jan. 22, 2006 vs. Toronto Raptors
4. Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors – 78 points – Dec. 8, 1961 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
5. Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors – 73 points – Jan. 13, 1962 vs. Chicago Packers
6. Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco Warriors – 73 points – Nov. 16, 1962 vs. New York Knicks
7. David Thompson, Denver Nuggets – 73 points – April 9, 1978 vs. Detroit Pistons
8. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks – 73 points – Jan. 26, 2024 vs. Atlanta Hawks
9. Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco Warriors – 72 points – Nov. 3, 1962 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
10. Elgin Baylor, Los Angeles Lakers – 71 points – Nov. 15, 1960 vs. New York Knicks
11. David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs – 71 points – April 24, 1994 vs. Los Angeles Clippers
12. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers – 71 points – Jan. 2, 2023 vs. Chicago Bulls
13. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers – 71 points – Feb. 26, 2023 vs. Houston Rockets
14. Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco Warriors – 70 points – March 10, 1963 vs. Syracuse Nationals
15. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns – 70 points – March 24, 2017 vs. Boston Celtics
16. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers – 70 points – Jan. 22, 2024 vs. San Antonio Spurs