The highest scoring NBA game ever is broken down into four categories: regular season, regular season with overtime, postseason, postseason with overtime.
Of those four games, NONE of them have taken place in the last 25 years! Take that, youngsters!
I’ve also listed the top 5 highest scoring games by stages of the NBA season – regular, regular season with overtime, playoffs, and playoffs with overtime.
Highest Scoring NBA Game In Regular Season History Without OT
1) 320 points. November 2nd, 1990 the Golden State Warriors registered a 162-158 win over the Denver Nuggets at McNichols Arena.
The game featured RUN TMC aka Golden State vs. the Nuggets. What ensued was potentially the most entertaining game in NBA history. The pace of the game is ridiculous, even in the highlights.
The Warriors and Nuggets combined to make 120 baskets, of which only six were three pointers. 320 points set an NBA record for the most points scored by two teams in a non-overtime game.
A combined total of 12 players scored in double figures. Golden State was led by Chris Mullin‘s game high 39 points. The three headed monster of Mullin, Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond, aka “Run TMC”, contributed an insane 99 points.
Orlando Woolridge (RIP) poured in 37 for the Nuggets, while teammate and silky smooth Walter Davis notched a cool 33.
22 players played in the game and 21 of them scored. The only player who played, yet didn’t score in the highest scoring game in NBA history, was Anthony Cook.
It was the first home game of the 1990-1991 season for the Denver Nuggets, and it was an introduction to first year head coach Paul Westhead. Nuggets fans, and the entire NBA had never seen anything like Westhead’s offensive approach. And outside retro basketball video games, you probably won’t ever see anything like it again.
Denver averaged a league-best 119.9 points per game in 1990-91, it also surrendered an NBA record 130.8 points per game, including 107 points in a single half to the Phoenix Suns, which remains an NBA record. It was a run and gun style that used up to 10 players as part of a regular rotation.
Golden State, led by Don Nelson, was no offensive slouch either. Lauded as a team that didn’t play defense, the Warriors finished second (to the Nuggets) that season in points per game (116.6).
2) 318 points. 1/11/84. Denver Nuggets beat the San Antonio Spurs 163-155
3) 317 points. 10/30/19. Houston Rockets beat the Washington Wizards 159-158
4) 316 points. 3-way tie:
3/2/62 – Philadelphia Warriors beat New York Knicks 169-147
3/12/70 – Cincinnati Royals beat San Diego Rockets 165-151
11/10/90 – Phoenix Suns beat Denver Nuggets 173-143
Highest Scoring NBA Game In Regular Season History With OT
1) 370 points. The highest-scoring regular season game is the triple-overtime game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets on December 13, 1983.
The two teams combined to score 370 points, with the Pistons defeating the Nuggets 186-184.
An NBA-record four players scored over 40 points in the game, including the Nuggets’ Kiki Vandeweghe with a game-high 51. The two teams also set several other NBA records, including the most points scored by one team (186 points), the most points scored by a losing team (184), the most field goals by two teams (142), most field goals by one team (74) and most assists by two teams (93).
2) 351 points. 2/25/23 – Sacramento Kings beat LA Clippers 176 – 175
3) 337 points. 3/6/82 – San Antonio Spurs beat Milwaukee Bucks 171-166
4) 329 points. 3/1/19 – Atlanta Hawks beat Chicago Bulls
5) 318 points. 12/7/06 – Phoenix Suns beat New Jersey Nets 161-157
Highest Scoring NBA Game In Playoff History
1) 304 points. 5/11/92. The highest-scoring playoff game is the double-overtime game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Phoenix Suns on May 11, 1992.
The two teams combined to score 304 points, with the Trail Blazers defeating the Suns 153-151. The Suns’ Kevin Johnson scored a game-high 35 points, with 12 other players also scoring in double figures.
2) 285 points. 4/26/83 – Spurs beat the Nuggets 152-133
2) 285 points. 4/28/90 – Celtics beat Knicks 157-128
4) 280 points. 4/23/87 – Mavericks beat SuperSonics 151-129
Highest Scoring NBA Game In Playoff History Non-Overtime
The highest-scoring playoff game in regulation occurred when the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets with a score of 152-133 for a combined score of 285 points on April 26, 1983.
In that game, the Spurs’ George Gervin scored a game-high 42 points.
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