On Monday night, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell joined one of the most exclusive groups in NBA history; that being, players who have scored 70 or more points in a single game. Against the rival Chicago Bulls, Mitchell enjoyed the best game of his entire career in a win that has cemented him in the NBA history books forever.
Mitchell is just the seventh player to have achieved this feat. Who are the others? Well, it may first surprise you to hear who has NOT accomplished this. Such NBA greats as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and many others have never (or at least not yet regarding the last two), but Donovan Mitchell now has joined Devin Booker as the only active NBA players who have scored 70 or more points.
What’s even more impressive than his points total — which ranks tied for eighth all-time — is that he was responsible for a total of 99 points in this game. That is the second most All-Time behind only Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain.
Donovan Mitchell scored or assisted on 99 points tonight for the Cavaliers
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 3, 2023
That's the second most in a game in NBA HISTORY behind Wilt Chamberlain (104)
(Via @OptaSTATS ) pic.twitter.com/zLKmswIujy
Donovan Mitchell’s 71-point performance is impressive, so where does it rank in NBA history?
Before looking deeper into some of the memorable 70+ point performances the NBA has seen, it’s first important to give due credit to some of those who just barely missed the cut. Here are three players that scored just under 70 points in a single game:
Wilt Chamberlain — 68 points | 12/16/1967
Pete Maravich — 68 points | 02/25/1977
Michael Jordan — 69 points | 03/10/1963
All impressive performances, but all came up just short of the 70-point marker.
Top scoring performance #12: Devin Booker | 03/24/2017
Starting off the list is with a name that should surprise no one as it was the most recent. On March 24th, 2017, Devin Booker scored 70 points against the Boston Celtics in a 120-130 losing effort. The then-sophomore shooting guard truly jumped onto the scene with this dominant performance; unfortunately, it could not end in a victory for his team.
Booker’s performance would likely be higher had the Suns actually won the game, but even still, Booker earns the honor of making the list; an honor very few can claim.
Top scoring performance #11: Wilt Chamberlain | 03/10/1963
Joining Devin Booker as the only players to ever score exactly 70 points, Wilt Chamberlain managed this feat while playing all 48 minutes against a Syracuse Nationals team featuring such notable names as Dolph Schayes, Red Kerr, Chet Walker, and of course, Hal Greer. This would be the Nationals’ final season before relocating to Philadelphia to replace Chamberlain’s Warriors.
Wilt was no stranger to both high-scoring games and high minutes (as you will continue to see), as evidenced by the 1961-62 season, which saw him average 50.4 points per game while playing an absurd 48.5 minutes per night. One may notice that this is more than the 48 minutes that is found in a regulation game of basketball.
Wilt Chamberlain was truly one of a kind.
Top scoring performance #10: Elgin Baylor | 11/15/1960
Elgin Baylor is sometimes overlooked in the annals of NBA history. Many now think of Larry Bird, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant when they think about the greatest Small Forwards of all time, but Elgin Baylor has at least one accolade that none of the others have, a game in which he scored more than 70 points.
On November 15th, 1960, Elgin Baylor and his Los Angeles Lakers took on the New York Knicks in the third Madison Square Garden. Baylor would score 71 of the team’s 123 points en route to a double-digit victory over New York.
It’s important to note that he did this without the use of a three-point line, something the other great Small Forwards in NBA history have greatly relied on over the years.
Top scoring performance #9: David Robinson | 04/24/1994
When one thinks of the name David Robinson, one typically thinks of his defensive ability or rebounding prowess, but for a time, “The Admiral” was also a strong offensive presence in the league. On April 24th, 1994, Robinson was able to show just that as he scored a career-high 71 points as his Spurs defeated the Los Angeles Clippers.
Clearly, the Hall of Famer was good for much more than just anchoring the defense of one of the most impressive (then up-and-coming) franchises in NBA history.
Top scoring performances #8-6: Wilt Chamberlain | 01/13, 11/03, & 11/16/1962
Wilt Chamberlain had as impressive an individual stretch in the year 1962 as maybe any NBA player in the history of the game. It all started in January of the 1961-62 season when, against the Chicago Packers, he would score 73 points while playing the entire 48 minutes of the game.
Nearly 10 months later (with an even more impressive performance taking place in between), Chamberlain would once again cross the 70-point threshold, scoring 72 against the Los Angeles Lakers as he began his first season in San Francisco with the newly relocated Warriors.
Finally, just two weeks later, Chamberlain would again cross the 70-point mark scoring 73 against the New York Knicks on November 16th, 1962. It was some of the most impressive and consistent basketball the league had ever seen, and the fabled “Wilt The Stilt” was only able to outdo these performances twice in his career.
Top scoring performance #5: Donovan Mitchell | 01/02/2023
This now brings us to yesterday’s performance. While the three previously mentioned games by Wilt Chamberlain all involved more individual points scored, Donovan Mitchell was able to contribute an MVP-level performance for the Cavaliers in historic fashion.
Mitchell’s 71 points combined with his 11 assists gave him a grand total of 99 points created by his efforts; as mentioned earlier, that’s the second most in NBA history. It’s not quite enough to get him into the top three of all time, but it certainly moves his performance up a few spots.
Top scoring performance #4: David Thompson | 04/09/1978
Coming in just ahead of Donovan Mitchell is Hall of Famer and Denver Nuggets legend David Thompson who, on April 9th, 1978, unleashed his offensive furry in a narrow loss against the Detroit Pistons. Seventy-three points all told for Thompson on 28/38 shooting from the field and a 17/20 performance from the line.
Thompson’s performance does lose points for the simple fact that Denver lost the game; however, he gains even more due to the lack of a three-point line — which would be added just two seasons later.
Top scoring performance #3: Wilt Chamberlain | 12/08/1961
Now is the time for the crème de la crème of scoring performances, starting with Wilt Chamberlain’s 78-point outburst against the Los Angeles Lakers. Seven years before teaming up with Elgin Baylor and the Lakers, Wilt Chamberlain put together this strong performance that included 43 rebounds. It did take 63 minutes to accomplish, and Wilt only shot 50% from the field (on a stunning 62 attempts), but this was one of only three times in NBA history that a player scored 75 or more points in a single game.
Top scoring performance 2: Kobe Bryant | 01/22/2006
What’s more impressive than Wilt Chamberlain exceeding 75 points in a single game? Kobe Bryant scoring over 80 points in a single game. On January 22nd, 2006, one of the greatest who ever graced the hardwood enjoyed one of his most celebrated games.
In 42 minutes of action, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points on 28/46 shooting, including 7/13 shooting from three, along with a stellar 18/20 performance from the line. He boasted an unreal offensive rating of 158 as the Lakers overcame the Raptors by a score of 122-104.
Like Wilt, Kobe Bryant was no stranger to multiple high-scoring games. He’s scored above 50 points 25 times (third all-time), above 60 points 6 times (second all-time), and of course, is one of two players to score more than 80 points in a single game.
As impressive as Kobe’s 81-point performance was, there is still one more that tops it.
Top scoring performance #1: Wilt Chamberlain | 03/02/1962
What else could it be but the only triple-digit appearance on the list? On March 2nd, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain did the unbelievable (some don’t believe it to this very day) and scored 100 points in a single NBA game.
In what is the eighth-highest-scoring game in NBA history as of today, Wilt Chamberlain was in rare form even for himself as he accomplished his marquee achievement. It took 36 buckets on 63 field goal attempts — not to mention the 32 trips to the line (28 made) — but he did it. Wilt Chamberlain set the unbreakable record.
Sure, Wilt has many unbreakable records: his season average of 48.5 minutes per game, his 118 50-point performances, and even the 33 consecutive wins set by his Lakers during the 1971-72 season, but no one, and I repeat, no one will ever sniff 100 points again.