NBA’s Most Unlikely 50-Point Scorers Of The Last 20 Years

This week Stat Central takes a look at some of the more obscure NBA players to produce 50-point games.

Mo Williams scored 52 points in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 110-101 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night, easily making him one of the NBA’s least likely 50-point scorers in recent memory.

Williams’ outburst was so unexpected that people all over Twitter openly admitted they didn’t even realize he was still in the league.  To no surprise, there was a fair amount of luck involved in Williams’ accomplishment:

Obviously Williams never totaled 50 points in a single game before, although he did once make an All-Star Game by virtue of being the second-best player on a team featuring LeBron James.  According to ESPN Stats & Info, at 32 years old Williams is the fourth-oldest player in NBA history to put up 50 for the first time.  He was also averaging just 11.0 points per game, the second lowest scoring average (after a minimum of 20 games) for a player who’s ever hit 50.

The 52 points is a new Minnesota franchise record.

Now here’s where things get weird.  The previous team high was 51, set by Corey Brewer on April 11 of last year.  Coincidentally that is also the last time anyone in the league had a 50-point game.

Brewer’s 50-point effort may have been even more of an oddity that Williams’.  His previous career high through seven seasons was just 29 points.  Also via ESPN, Brewer is the most experienced NBA player ever to score 50 without ever before getting at least 30.

Strangely enough, three of the league’s most unlikely 50-point outings of the last two decades all came within the past year.  On Jan. 25, Terrence Ross of the Toronto Raptors exploded for 51.  His scoring average at the time was 9.3 PPG, the only one lower than Williams’.  Ross’ old career high was also just 26, tied for the lowest ever among members of the 50-point club.

The other player who poured in 50 after never previously eclipsing 26 was Tony Delk, who actually dropped 53 for the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 2, 2001.  At the time Delk’s career scoring average was just 8.0 PPG, second lowest only to Ross’ 7.4.  Delk also never topped 27 points over the rest of his career.

On Feb. 2, 1998, Tracy Murray of the Washington Wizards hit 50.  For his career Murray averaged only 9.0 PPG.

Dana Barros logged 50 for the Philadelphia 76ers on March 14, 1995.  For Barros it was the apex of one anomalous season.  He averaged 20.6 PPG that year and made his only All-Star appearance, but never exceeded 13.3 PPG in any other campaign.  Barros’ eight highest-scoring games of his career all came in 1994-95.

And even though it was technically more than 20 years ago, Willie Burton‘s 50-point showing for that same Sixers squad can’t be left out.  Burton managed 53 on Dec. 13, 1994, in large part by knocking down 24 free throws.  The next best output he ever had was only just 33.  Burton also started only 118 games in a career that lasted less than eight seasons, while averaging 10.3 PPG.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/15/2015.

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