Ranking the Most Unlikely NBA Scoring Outbursts of the Last 10 Years
We see you, Mo Williams.
The Minnesota Timberwolves point guard was en fuego Tuesday night, exploding for a career-high 52 points, more than any other player has produced in a single game throughout the 2014-15 season. He couldn't miss as the game drew to a conclusion, leading his Wolves to victory against the defense of the Indiana Pacers.
"After an otherwise nondescript 14-point first half, Williams became at times the Timberwolves' sole source of offensive production," Bleacher Report's Tyler Conway wrote after the game. "He made seven of Minnesota's nine field goals in a 16-point third quarter and topped that by going for 21 in the fourth, knocking down an array of jaw-dropping shots."
But Williams did more than score a lot of points; he inspired us to look back at the most unlikely outbursts of the last decade. And we're approaching this objectively rather than glancing at high-scoring outings and seeing which feel the most surprising.
"Unexpected Score," as we'll call it here, is derived simply by subtracting a player's scoring average during the season in question from his output during his ridiculous night. The higher the difference between the two, the more of an outlier the performance was, and thus the more objectively unlikely it was.
Do note that only 40-point outings were eligible for these rankings, so we've analyzed the 651 that have taken place since the beginning of the 2005-06 campaign.
Trust me. You're about to be surprised as we look back and see where Williams' standout showing fits in.
No. 20 Through No. 16
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20. Rajon Rondo: 44 against the Miami Heat on May 30, 2012 (32.1 Unexpected Score)
Making this performance subjectively more impressive was the fact that it came during a playoff game against LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Rajon Rondo averaged only 11.9 points per game during the regular season, and he scored 21 more points in this outing than his No. 2 postseason performance this year.
19. Marcus Thornton: 42 against the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 24, 2014 (32.2)
Talk about upping your trade value. Marcus Thornton was shipped from the Sacramento Kings to the Brooklyn Nets less than a month after torching the league's best defense in 2013-14. His second-best scoring output of the season, though, was just 27 points.
18. Nate Robinson: 45 against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 8, 2008 (32.3)
The diminutive floor general has always been able to explode for a big performance, and that wasn't any different earlier in his career. Despite averaging just 12.7 points per game during the 2007-08 campaign, he topped every other contest that season by a neat 19 points.
17. Ben Gordon: 45 against the Denver Nuggets on March 21, 2012 (32.5)
Even with his reputation as a volume shooter, Ben Gordon has only broken past the 40-point barrier five times in his career. When it came earlier in his professional tenure, it wasn't as notable, as he was consistently putting up gaudy point totals. However, that wasn't the case during the 2011-12 season, when he exploded for 45 points against the Denver Nuggets during a campaign in which he averaged just 12.5.
16. Ray Allen: 51 against the Chicago Bulls on April 30, 2009 (32.8)
It isn't easy to shatter your season average during the playoffs, but that's exactly what Ray Allen did during the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2009. In Game 6 against the Chicago Bulls, he carried the Boston Celtics with a 51-spot, but it ultimately wasn't enough for his team to avoid a loss in the United Center.
No. 15 Through No. 11
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15. Rodrigue Beaubois: 40 against the Golden State Warriors on March 27, 2010 (32.9)
During his rookie season, the speedy point guard who was once thought to have plenty of upside flat-out exploded against the Golden State Warriors. On the road, he put up 40 points, which was especially notable because his second-best scoring performance that season was just 24. In fact, excluding this game, Rodrigue Beaubois' career high is 25.
14. Tony Parker: 55 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 5, 2008 (33)
It only took four games for Tony Parker to establish himself in 2008-09, as he torched the Minnesota Timberwolves for 55 points on 22-of-36 shooting from the field, 2-of-3 from outside the arc and 9-of-10 at the charity stripe. This season remains the top scoring performance of Parker's amazing career, and this was the top game of the season.
13. Kobe Bryant: 65 against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 16, 2007 (33.4)
Even excellent scorers can have unlikely performances, according to our formula. Kobe Bryant scored at least 50 points on 10 separate occasions in 2006-07, including a pair of outings that saw him break past 60. But this 65-point game was still the top performance, and it was high enough above his average of 31.6 points per game that it still makes the countdown.
12. LeBron James: 61 against the Charlotte Bobcats on March 3, 2014 (33.9)
The lesson learned from this game? Don't let LeBron James wear a clear mask against the Charlotte Bobcats.
11. Kobe Bryant: 61 against the New York Knicks on Feb. 2, 2009 (34.2)
Here's a great example of exactly how the formula works. For the past two entries, Bryant and James both scored 61 points, but it's the former with the more unlikely performance. That's because he averaged "only" 26.8 points per game in 2008-09, while James posted 27.1 in 2013-14.
10. Jamal Crawford Against Miami Heat on Jan. 26, 2007 (34.5 Unexpected Score)
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Points Scored: 52
Season Average: 17.5
Team: New York Knicks
Throughout the entirety of his career, Jamal Crawford has been a scoring spark plug. He's capable of coming in and lighting up the scoreboard on any given night, as he can just explode on a moment's notice. It's true now that he's with the Los Angeles Clippers, and it was true during the 2006-07 campaign with the New York Knicks.
That year, Crawford averaged 17.5 points per game, but he did manage to have a couple of microwave performances. He scored in the 30s on three separate occasions, with the most impressive a 37-point outing against the Boston Celtics.
However, the Miami Heat had no chance of stopping him in late January. Making 20 of his 30 looks from the field, draining eight triples and knocking down each of his four free-throw attempts, Crawford put up 52 points in a blowout victory over the visiting team.
To this day, he's never topped that outing, though he's gotten into the 50s on two other occasions.
9. Charlie Villanueva Against Milwaukee Bucks on March 26, 2006 (35)
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Points Scored: 48
Season Average: 13
Team: Toronto Raptors
Talk about announcing your presence to the NBA world.
Near the end of his rookie season with the Toronto Raptors, Charlie Villanueva put together the performance of his lifetime against the Milwaukee Bucks. He went 20-of-32 from the field, connected on six three-point attempts and left only one point at the charity stripe, finishing his night with a tidy 48 points. It wasn't enough for him to carry his squad to victory, but it will forever remain his top performance.
This outing was completely out of nowhere.
The No. 7 pick in the 2005 NBA draft, Villanueva's previous career high was just 27 points, though he'd submit a 29-point outing shortly after this historic one. His scoring average was barely even in the teens, and he'd never even taken 20 shots in a game, much less 32.
On one night, anything can happen.
8. Deron Williams Against Charlotte Bobcats on March 4, 2012 (36)
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Points Scored: 57
Season Average: 21
Team: New Jersey Nets
Oh, what Deron Williams could do when he was fully healthy.
In this memorable showing against the Charlotte Bobcats, Williams put together one of his vintage performances, using his size and devastating crossover to tear apart an overmatched defense. He got into the paint and drew contact at will, earning 21 free throws and making each and every one of them.
To put that in perspective, only two other players since 1963-64 have gone to the line that often during a regular-season game and remained perfect: Dominique Wilkins in 1992 and Kevin Durant in 2013.
This was no easy feat. Williams' shot from the perimeter wasn't particularly impressive on this fateful night against the Bobcats, but he made up for it by playing the right kind of basketball. The result was one of the more surprising scoring performances of the last decade.
The No. 8 most surprising, in fact.
7. Andre Miller Against Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 30, 2010 (38)
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Points Scored: 52
Season Average: 14
Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Right after Andre Miller dropped a shocking 52 points against the Dallas Mavericks, Yahoo Sports' Kelly Dwyer provided some nice perspective:
"Miller could always post-up, dating back to his college days, and nail the mid-range jumper. But he was never a huge worry for opposing defenses. Especially heading into Saturday night, 24 hours after dropping exactly two points against the Houston Rockets.
Or seven points against the Utah Jazz two nights before that.
Or six points against the New Orleans Hornets two nights before the Jazz game.
So for Miller to give the Dallas Mavericks—the 11th-most efficient defensive team in the NBA heading into Saturday—52 points? To score 25 in the fourth quarter and overtime? To do it Wilt-style; that is to say, only taking (and making) one three-pointer all night?
"
No one could keep Miller in check. Not even Shawn Marion, who was still in his defensive prime at the time.
And this is even stranger than Dwyer indicates, as the point guard's career numbers give no hint that such an all-out explosion was possible, even with the luxury of an overtime period in which he continued to scorch the bottom of the net.
Miller had scored 37 points twice in 2002, and those were the top scoring performances of his career prior to this outburst. He'd only scored in the 30s four times in the five years leading up to this date.
6. Carmelo Anthony Against Charlotte Bobcats on Jan. 24, 2014 (38.1)
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Points Scored: 62
Season Average: 23.9
Team: New York Knicks
The 2013-14 season may have been the best of Carmelo Anthony's career, but only from an individual perspective. His team struggled around him, and despite his best efforts, the New York Knicks missed the playoffs, keeping Anthony out of the postseason for the first time.
But in a year nearly devoid of highlights and bright spots, this certainly counted as one.
On most nights, the Charlotte Bobcats were quite good on the defensive end of the court, even finishing No. 5 in defensive rating, per Basketball-Reference.com. But Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and the rest of the 'Cats were utterly helpless against the version of Anthony that simply couldn't miss. Even though he was a factor in the scoring race throughout the season, he nearly tripled his typical output on this night.
It's not easy to take down Bernard King's Madison Square Garden record, but that's what Anthony did by going 23-of-35 from the field, hitting all 10 of his free throws and knocking down so many threes that he needed one hand and an extra finger to count them.
5. Corey Brewer Against Houston Rockets on April 11, 2014 (38.7)
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Points Scored: 51
Season Average: 12.3
Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Many players present in this countdown were great scorers at some point in their careers, and their notable outings came during a season that most certainly wouldn't count as a prime one. But that's not the case for Corey Brewer, as the 12.3 points per game he averaged in 2013-14 are only 0.7 shy of his career high.
It makes this outing even more inexplicable, as Brewer thrived on transition opportunities and easy buckets.
Somehow, only two of his makes from the field came from more than three feet away from the basket. One was a rare corner three late in the first quarter, and the other was a mid-range jumper from the left baseline halfway through the third. Other than that, each of his 19 makes came right at the hoop.
Everything broke the right way for Brewer during this game, as he racked up one perfect opportunity after another. But he still converted enough of them that he nearly doubled his second-best scoring performance of the season.
Since this came against the Houston Rockets, is it any wonder general manager Daryl Morey traded for him one year later?
4. Brandon Jennings Against Golden State Warriors on Nov. 14, 2009 (39.5)
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Points Scored: 55
Season Average: 15.5
Team: Milwaukee Bucks
"Brandon Jennings did not score a point in the first quarter Saturday night at the Bradley Center," Charles F. Gardner wrote for the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel after Brandon Jennings put together quite the unexpected outing. "So nobody was really figuring he would wind up with a scintillating 55-point outburst, just two off the Bucks franchise record, in leading Milwaukee to a thrilling 129-125 victory over the Golden State Warriors."
The first quarter would prove irrelevant due to a third period in which Jennings dropped a cool 29. Amazingly enough, he scored more points in those 12 minutes than he did in all but two of his other games as a rookie for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The southpaw set the franchise record for points by a first-year player, as Gardner reported. And perhaps even more impressively, he did so just seven games into his NBA career. Though he'd averaged 20.7 points per contest leading into this performance and would only decline later in the season, this was still pretty darn shocking.
As teammate Hakim Warrick said after the game, per Gardner, "I've never witnessed anything like that. He just really put the team on his back. Every shot he shot, you just knew it was going in."
3. Mo Williams Against Indiana Pacers on Jan. 13, 2015 (39.6)
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Points Scored: 52
Season Average: 12.4
Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
"When you are in the zone, you don't know the magnitude of the game," Mo Williams told The Associated Press, via ESPN.com, after he torched the Indiana Pacers for 52 points on Tuesday night. "I am glad to put on a show."
And a show it was.
En route to breaking the Minnesota Timberwolves' franchise record that was previously shared by Kevin Love and Corey Brewer at 51, Williams took 33 shots and drilled 19 of them, six of which came from beyond the arc. He also hit eight of his nine free-throw attempts and dished out seven dimes for good measure.
His previous career high? Forty-four in 2009, back when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers. That was one of two times that he'd worked his way into the 40s.
"You are just in a zone, you don't really see anybody," the point guard told reporters about his night. "You just go back to the places when you are in the gym by yourself with your own trainer. You are just shooting shots and it doesn't matter where the defense is at."
As Elias Sports Bureau reported, per ESPN, "Mo Williams was averaging only 11.0 points per game this season, entering his 52-point game Tuesday. That's the second-lowest scoring average in NBA history at the time of a player's 50-point game (min. 20 games played)."
That number is now already up to 12.4.
2. Terrence Ross Against Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 25, 2014 (40.1)
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Points Scored: 51
Season Average: 10.9
Team: Toronto Raptors
When Terrence Ross suited up against the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 25, 2014, he was averaging only 9.3 points per game. That number would go up a bit over the course of the 2013-14 campaign, largely because of this 51-point outing that remains the high-water mark of the Washington product's young career.
Somehow, the swingman managed to put up his points while only taking 29 shots from the field. That would be because he connected on 10 three-pointers, which remains one of the highest numbers by any 50-point scorer in NBA history.
In fact, among the 20 single-game performances since 1984-85 in which a player made double-digit triples, only Stephen Curry has put together a higher scoring output. That's a great testament to how aggressive Ross was on this particular night, as he wasn't just settling for jumpers but was instead attacking the basket at all times.
If only he'd been able to hit those mid-range jumpers...
1. Kobe Bryant Against Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006 (45.6)
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Points Scored: 81
Season Average: 35.4
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant breaks our formula.
Though you might have expected to find a nondescript scorer atop the rankings, it's the high-scoring shooting guard who ends up in the pole position, and deservedly so. After all, what could be more unlikely than the second-highest-scoring performance in NBA history, even if it came from a player who averaged 35.4 points per game during the year in question?
This was completely out of nowhere, even though he'd already put up 62 once that season and was averaging 40.7 points per game during the 14 contests just prior to this historic one. After all, David Robinson (71) and Wilt Chamberlain (100) were the only players to break past the 70-point barrier before Kobe Bryant took to the Toronto Raptors defense with utter ferocity.
He was completely unstoppable.
Bryant's name might not surprise you when you see it next to a ridiculous performance, especially when that outing came in the midst of his historically excellent prime. However, it was still shocking and entirely unlikely to see his name—or anyone's, for that matter—next to an 81-point showing.
Eighty-one is just silly.
Note: All stats, unless otherwise indicated, come from Basketball-Reference.com.
