Helena Frye
In basketball, points are accumulated through field goals and free throws. While it is rare for an individual player to score 100 points in a single game, Wilt Chamberlain of the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia Warriors scored 100 points on March 2, 1962, against the New York Knicks, setting the record for the highest number of points scored by an individual in an NBA game. The highest-scoring game in NBA history took place on December 13, 1983, between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets, with a combined score of 370 points.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Highest points scored by an individual in an NBA game | 100 points, Wilt Chamberlain, 1962 |
| Highest points scored by an individual in an NBA game half | 59 points, Wilt Chamberlain |
| Highest points scored by an individual in an NBA game quarter | 31 points, Wilt Chamberlain |
| Highest points scored by a team in an NBA game | 186 points, Detroit Pistons, 1983 |
| Highest points scored by a team in an NBA game (losing score) | 184 points, Denver Nuggets, 1983 |
| Highest points scored by a team in an NBA game (combined score) | 370 points, Detroit Pistons (186) vs Denver Nuggets (184), 1983 |
| Highest points scored by an individual in an international game | 116 points, Lou Salvador (Philippines), 1923 |
| Highest points scored by an individual in a high school game | 135 points, Burnsville High School, West Virginia |
| Highest points scored by an individual in a college game | 138 points, Grinnell College, 2012 |
| Highest points scored by an individual in a worldwide organized game | 272 points, Mats Wermelin, Sweden, 1974 |
| Highest points scored by an individual in a Division I game | 100 points, Frank Selvy, Furman University |
| Highest points scored by an individual in a female game | 136 points, Anat Draigor, Israel, 2006 |
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What You'll Learn
Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game
The highest number of points scored by a player in a basketball game is 100, achieved by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962. Playing for the Philadelphia Warriors, Chamberlain scored 100 points in a 169–147 win over the New York Knicks. The game took place on March 2, 1962, at the Hershey Sports Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Chamberlain's achievement is widely considered one of the greatest records in NBA history. He set five other league records in the same game, including most free throws made (28), despite being regarded as a poor free-throw shooter. The teams also broke the record for most combined points in a game (316). Chamberlain averaged an impressive 50.4 points per game that season, breaking the NBA single-game scoring record earlier in the season with 78 points.
With ten minutes remaining in the game, Warriors forward Tom Meschery noticed that the team's offense had shifted entirely towards getting the ball to Chamberlain. Chamberlain needed 25 points with eight minutes left to reach 100, an astonishing rate of scoring. He broke his previous record of 71 points with 7:51 left, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
As the game drew to a close, Chamberlain's scoring showed no signs of slowing. With 2:12 left, he scored his 96th point, followed by a powerful dunk—a rare move for Chamberlain. With less than a minute left, he received the ball close to the basket but missed the shot. He got another chance with 46 seconds remaining, breaking free from five Knicks defenders to jump and put the ball in the basket, scoring his 100th point.
Unfortunately, there is no official footage of Chamberlain's historic performance. However, a fan and professional photographer, Paul Vathis, captured a famous photo of Chamberlain with a "100" sheet, providing valuable photographic evidence of the remarkable feat.
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Highest-scoring NBA teams
In the NBA, points are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making field goals (two or three points) or free throws (one point). The team that has recorded the most points at the end of a game is the winner.
While there have been some impressive individual performances, this answer will focus on the highest-scoring NBA teams.
The Golden State Warriors hold the record for the most points scored in a regular-season game, putting up 157 points against the Denver Nuggets in 1990. The Warriors also hold the record for the most points scored in a playoff game, with 158 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1967.
The Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets hold the record for the highest-scoring regulation game, with the Pistons edging out the Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime in 1983. This game also holds the record for the highest-scoring regulation game in the post-shot-clock era.
The New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons hold the record for the most combined points in a game, with the Knicks defeating the Pistons 168-147 in 1960. This game also holds the record for the most points scored by a losing team, with the Pistons' 147 points.
The highest-scoring NBA game overall took place in 1983 between the Pistons and the Nuggets. The two teams combined for 370 points, with the Pistons defeating the Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime.
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Most points in a triple-double
Points in basketball are accumulated by making field goals (two or three points) or free throws (one point). While double-doubles and triple-doubles occur regularly in the NBA, quadruple-doubles are extremely rare, with only four players having officially recorded one. A triple-double is achieved when a player accumulates double-digit numbers in three of the five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots.
Nikola Jokić holds the record for the most points scored in a triple-double in the NBA. On April 1, 2025, Jokić scored 61 points, along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists, in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This was also the first time a player scored at least 30 points while also having 20 or more rebounds and 20 or more assists.
James Harden and Luka Dončić are the only other players to have scored 60 points in a triple-double. Harden scored 60 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists against the Orlando Magic in January 2018, while Dončić scored 60 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists against the New York Knicks in December 2022.
Russell Westbrook holds the record for the most career triple-doubles, with 202, as well as the most triple-doubles in a single season, achieving 42 in the 2016-17 season. Westbrook is also the only player to average a triple-double in a single season multiple times, doing so in three consecutive seasons.
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Top NBA single-game scorers
The highest number of points scored in a single NBA game is 100, a record set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962. This record remains unbroken and is considered unattainable, with Kobe Bryant in second place with 81 points. Chamberlain also set single-game records for points scored in a half (59), shots made (36), shots attempted (63), and free throws made (28). He also set a then-record for points scored in a quarter (31).
Chamberlain's incredible scoring prowess is further demonstrated by the fact that he scored 60 or more points in a game an astonishing 32 times. This is a feat that has only been accomplished by nine other players in NBA history, with Kobe Bryant doing so six times, and seven other players achieving this twice or more.
The youngest player to score at least 60 points in a regular-season game is Devin Booker, who scored 70 points at 20 years and 145 days old. Booker's achievement is made even more impressive by the fact that he is one of only ten players to have joined the exclusive "70-point club".
Kobe Bryant holds the distinction of being the oldest player to score 60 points in a game, doing so at 37 years and 234 days old. Bryant also demonstrated remarkable consistency in his scoring, with a streak of six straight 50+ point games, a record second only to Chamberlain's streaks of seven (twice), six, and five (four times).
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Highest points scored by a female player
In the history of basketball, only seven female players have scored 100 points or more in a single game in the United States at the high school level. Denise Long of Union-Whitten High School (Iowa) was the first female player to achieve this feat, scoring 111 points during a state playoff game in 1968. That season, Long averaged a still-standing national record of 68.2 points per game. Her single-game record stood for 38 years until Epiphanny Prince scored 113 points for Murry Bergtraum High School (New York) in 2006.
In 2006, Anat Draigor of Israel scored 136 points in a 158-41 win during an Israel Division III League playoff game. This is the highest total by a female basketball player worldwide. At 46 years old, Draigor also became the oldest player in history to score 100 points.
In college basketball, the overall scoring leader among women is Pearl Moore, who scored 4,061 points from 1975 to 1979, mostly at Francis Marion, which is now an NCAA Division II program.
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Frequently asked questions
Wilt Chamberlain holds the record for the highest number of points scored by an individual player in an NBA game. On March 2, 1962, Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 win against the New York Knicks.
Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Raptors in 2006.
The Detroit Pistons hold the record for the highest number of points scored by a team in an NBA game. On December 13, 1983, the Pistons scored 186 points in a triple-overtime victory against the Nuggets.
The highest number of points scored by an individual player in international basketball is 116 points, scored by the Philippines' Lou Salvador in May 1923 against China.
