Iconic NBA Games

The 100-Point Game

Wilt Chamberlain·Mar 2, 1962

PHIvsNYK·W169-147

The single-game scoring record. Wilt scored from every spot, in every way, in a half-empty Hershey arena. Untouched in 60+ years.

Magic at Center — Game 6, Showtime is born

Magic Johnson·May 16, 1980

LAL@PHI·W123-107

Kareem out with a sprained ankle. Rookie Magic Johnson jumped center, played every position, finished 42/15/7 to clinch the title. Finals MVP at 20 years old.

31,420 — Skyhook for the record

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar·Apr 5, 1984

LALvsUTA·W129-115

Kareem's skyhook over Mark Eaton broke Wilt Chamberlain's all-time scoring record. The mark stood 38 years until LeBron in 2023.

60 in New Orleans

Larry Bird·Mar 12, 1985

BOS@ATL·W126-115

Bird went off in front of an Atlanta home crowd that ended up cheering for him. Career-high. Hawks bench, mid-game, stood and applauded.

"And there's a steal by Bird!"

Larry Bird·May 26, 1987

BOSvsDET·W108-107

Game 5 ECF, one second left, Pistons up 1. Isiah inbounded — Bird picked it clean and zipped it to DJ for the layup. The series-saving moment Johnny Most made immortal.

Junior, Junior, Junior Skyhook

Magic Johnson·Jun 9, 1987

LAL@BOS·W107-106

Game 4, 1987 Finals. Lakers down one, 7 seconds left at Boston Garden. Magic stepped between McHale and Parish, rose, hooked it home — Lakers up 3-1 on the series.

Quadruple-Double — 18/16/10/11 blk

Hakeem Olajuwon·Mar 29, 1990

HOUvsMIL·W120-94

Only the fourth quadruple-double in NBA history (alongside Thurmond, Alvin Robertson, and later David Robinson). The only quad-double with blocks as the fourth category.

The Shrug Game

Michael Jordan·Jun 3, 1992

CHIvsPOR·W122-89

Game 1, 1992 Finals. Jordan dropped a Finals-record 35 in the first half on six threes, turned to the announce table after the sixth and shrugged. He had never been known for the three-ball.

Double Nickel at MSG

Michael Jordan·Mar 28, 1995

CHI@NYK·W113-111

Fifth game back from retirement / baseball. Jordan dropped 55 at MSG and capped it with a kick-out assist to Bill Wennington for the winning dunk. "I'm back."

8 points in 8.9 seconds at MSG

Reggie Miller·May 7, 1995

IND@NYK·W107-105

Game 1, second round. Pacers down 6 with 18.7 to play. Reggie hit a three, stole the inbound, stepped back for another three, then iced the FTs. New York's worst nightmare.

The Flu Game

Michael Jordan·Jun 11, 1997

CHI@UTA·W90-88

Game 5 of the '97 Finals in Utah. Jordan, weakened by food poisoning (long mythologized as flu), willed himself to 38 including the late three. Pippen carried him off after the win.

The Last Shot

Michael Jordan·Jun 14, 1998

CHI@UTA·W87-86

Game 6, 1998 Finals. Jordan stripped Karl Malone, raced down, hit a 20-footer over Russell with 5.2 left. The capstone of the second three-peat.

13 in 33 seconds

Tracy McGrady·Dec 9, 2004

HOUvsSAS·W81-80

Down 8 with 35 seconds left. McGrady hit a three, a four-point play, another three, and another three to steal the win. Maybe the most absurd 35 seconds ever.

81 vs Toronto

Kobe Bryant·Jan 22, 2006

LALvsTOR·W122-104

Lakers trailed by 18 at the half. Kobe outscored Toronto 55-41 over the final two-and-a-half quarters. Second-highest single-game total ever.

25 of CLE's last 29 in the ECF

LeBron James·May 31, 2007

CLE@DET·W109-107

Game 5, ECF, double overtime. LeBron scored 29 of Cleveland's final 30 points (and assisted the only other) to single-handedly take down the Pistons.

Anything Is Possible — KG's first ring

Kevin Garnett·Jun 17, 2008

BOSvsLAL·W131-92

Game 6, 2008 Finals. KG and the Big Three closed Lakers in their building by 39. Garnett dropped to his knees mid-court — "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!"

Sick Game 4 — Dirk fights 102°F flu

Dirk Nowitzki·Jun 7, 2011

DALvsMIA·W86-83

Finals tied 1-1. Dirk with 102°F fever, missed 13 shots, but scored 10 of the Mavs' final 12 points to even the series 2-2. Dallas won the title four games later.

Game 6 in Boston

LeBron James·Jun 7, 2012

MIA@BOS·W98-79

Down 3-2 in the East Finals, in TD Garden, on the road, season on the line. LeBron 45/15 silenced the Garden — the game that turned his career.

The Corner Three — Game 6, 2013 Finals

Ray Allen·Jun 18, 2013

MIAvsSAS·W103-100

Heat down 3 with 5.2 left, championship trophy already on the court. Allen back-pedaled into the right corner, caught LeBron's kick-out, and rose. Tie game, OT, Heat win, Game 7 the next night.

Mamba Out — 60 in the farewell

Kobe Bryant·Apr 13, 2016

LALvsUTA·W101-96

Kobe's final NBA game. 50 shots, 22 made — and a 17-point fourth quarter to lift the Lakers to a win. "Mamba out."

The Block / The Comeback

LeBron James·Jun 19, 2016

CLE@GSW·W93-89

Game 7 vs the 73-win Warriors. Triple-double + The Block on Iguodala with under 2:00 left. Cleveland's first major-pro title in 52 years.

60 in 29 minutes

Klay Thompson·Dec 5, 2016

GSWvsIND·W142-106

Only 11 dribbles. 60 points in 29 minutes of game time. Klay sat the entire fourth quarter — Warriors were up 40+.

Booker 70 in TD Garden

Devin Booker·Mar 24, 2017

PHX@BOS·L120-130

Sub-6 record. The youngest player ever (20) to score 70+ in a game. Suns lost; Booker's individual brilliance was undeniable.

The Shot — Kawhi's G7 Buzzer-Beater

Kawhi Leonard·May 12, 2019

TORvsPHI·W92-90

Game 7 second round. Kawhi caught a long pass on the right baseline, dribbled into a corner fadeaway, ball bounced four times on the rim — and dropped. Toronto onto its destined title.

Curry 62 — Career High

Stephen Curry·Jan 3, 2021

GSWvsPOR·W137-122

Curry's first ever 60-piece, at age 32. 18 of 19 from the line. An efficient masterpiece against Portland.

Three #2974 — Passing Ray Allen

Stephen Curry·Dec 14, 2021

GSW@NYK·W105-96

Madison Square Garden. Curry sank a top-of-the-key three in the first quarter to pass Ray Allen as the NBA's all-time leading three-point shooter. Standing ovation; game stopped for a brief tribute.

Mitchell 71 — First 70 since Kobe

Donovan Mitchell·Jan 2, 2023

CLEvsCHI·W145-134

Overtime thriller. Mitchell's only triple of 70+ tied Wilt's mark for 70/10 rebounds (8 reb + 11 ast). The Bulls were stunned in their own building of choice — Cleveland in OT.

38,388 — Passing Kareem

LeBron James·Feb 7, 2023

LALvsOKC·L130-133

Late third quarter, baseline fadeaway over Kenrich Williams — LeBron passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) as the NBA's all-time scoring leader. A 39-year record fell.

Dame 71

Damian Lillard·Feb 26, 2023

PORvsHOU·W131-114

Lillard's career high. 13 threes in 22 attempts. Portland blew the doors off Houston.

Tatum's 51-point Game 7

Jayson Tatum·May 14, 2023

BOSvsPHI·W112-88

Most points in any Game 7 in NBA history. Boston dispatched the 76ers in the conference semifinals.

Embiid 70 — Wemby's reckoning

Joel Embiid·Jan 22, 2024

PHIvsSAS·W133-123

First 70-piece by a center since Wilt 1969. The matchup against #1 pick Victor Wembanyama turned into a dominance demonstration.

Dame Time (game-tier) — All-Star 3PT champion title-defending

Damian Lillard·Apr 26, 2024

MILvsIND·L109-121

Lillard won his second 3PT contest in the same week he led the Bucks deep into the playoffs. Iconic post-season Lillard at MIL.