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Basketball is often a higher-scoring sport than most, with games sometimes reaching 200+ combined points scored. Of course, this has happened plenty of times in the NBA, although there’ve been several games with an unprecedented amount of points scored.
In this article, we found the top 5 highest-scoring NBA games ever, including when it was played, what teams were playing and the final score.
The fifth highest-scoring game in NBA history occurred on November 2, 1990, between the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets at McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado. Currently, this is the highest-scoring game ending in regulation, with the Warriors coming out victorious 162-158.
The Warriors Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond would combine for 99 total points, compared to the Nuggets duo Orlando Woolride and Walter Davis scoring a combined 70. Surprisingly, both teams were playing their 1990 season opener, making this even more of a spectacle to witness during its time.
Fourth on the list of highest-scoring NBA games in history is the legendary matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks on March 1, 2019, played at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Overall, the game saw 329 points be scored, with the Bulls winning by a 7-point margin in the 168-161 final.
It’d take four overtimes before the game ended, making it the highest-scoring 4+ OT NBA game ever. The Hawks Trae Young and Bulls Zach LaVine played spectacularly, scoring 49 and 47 points for their teams.
Beating out the last game by just 8 total points was the exciting Spurs vs Bucks matchup in the HemisFair Arena in San Antonio, Texas on March 6, 1982. In this one, the Spurs George Gervin, Mike Mitchell and Bucks Brian Winters would all net 40+ points, making this one of the few games where 3 players scored 40+ points.
Gervin would reach a record game-high of 50 points, allowing the Spurs to come out victorious 171-166 after playing through three overtimes before reaching a result.
Up next is the second-highest-scoring NBA game in history, a February 24, 2023 matchup at Crypto.com Arena in LA, California between the Sacramento Kings and LA Clippers. In this spectacle, both teams combined for an NBA record-high total of 44 three-pointers made. It was the second NBA game in which both teams managed to score 170+ points after heading to double overtime.
This one ended 176-175 in favor of the Kings, who would scrape out the victory by just 1 point, with players like Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox combining for 87 of the Kings points. The Clippers still fought to the end, with players Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combining for 78 total points.
For the #1 highest-scoring game in NBA history, the Detroit Pistons would take on the Denver Nuggets on December 13, 1983, at the McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado. After heading to triple overtime, the Pistons won the game in a 186-184 final tally.
Most notably, the Nuggets Kiki VanDeWeghe scored a game-high of 51 points, along with teammate Alex English netting 47. The Pistons, however, would put the pedal to the floor, with star players Isiah Thomas, John Long and Kelly Tripucka combining for a whopping 123 points, making this matchup the highest-scoring NBA game ever.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.