Ranking the NBA's Top 60-Point Games Ever
Editor's Note: This is Part 1 of a two-part miniseries celebrating the NBA's greatest individual scoring outputs of all time. Hit the Bleacher Report app to share your own list of all-time games in the 60s, and check back next week when Greg Swartz ranks every game 70 points and higher.
A 60-point game is a rarity in the NBA. Only 24 players in the history of the league have scored between 60 and 69 points in the regular and postseason, with nearly half of all such instances accomplished by Wilt Chamberlain.
Not all 60-point games are created equal, of course.
Efficiency matters, as does contributing to the box score in other areas besides scoring. The significance of the game matters as well.
For this list, 63 60-point games have been narrowed down and ranked based on the following categories:
- Box Score Rank: Scoring is great, but contributing in other areas is important, too. How every player on the list stacks up when rebounds and assists are accounted for as well.
- Efficiency Rank: Scoring 60 points on 60 percent shooting is far more impressive than on 40 percent. All players' field-goal percentages in their 60-point games were ranked highest to lowest.
- Significance Rank: Why was this 60-point game important? Playoff games and other special factors earned higher rankings.
- Average Rank: Average score from all three rankings. The lower the number, the better.
These are the greatest 60-point games in NBA history.
No. 10: Kobe Bryant Drops 60 in Final Game at Age 37
1 of 10Box Score Rank: 10
Efficiency Rank: 10
Significance Rank: 3
Average Rank: 7.7
Kobe Bryant racked up six 60-point games in his career, yet none were as important or memorable as his last.
In his final NBA game, Bryant went all-out, dropping 60 points at home against the Utah Jazz on 22-of-50 shooting overall. His previous high that season was 38.
Bryant's performance set a record for most points in a player's final career game and was even more impressive considering he was 37, had played 20 years in the league and suffered a torn Achilles tendon just three years earlier.
While it was an unforgettable performance, it wasn't particularly efficient. Bryant shot 44.0 percent overall and 28.6 percent from three (6-of-21). In the 63 times in history a player has registered a 60-point game, Bryant's shooting percentage ranked 62nd.
In what was an ugly season for the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant provided a beautiful finale.
No. 9: Larry Bird Sets Celtics Record with 60-Point Game
2 of 10Box Score Rank: 9
Efficiency Rank: 7
Significance Rank: 5
Average Rank: 7
With 36 players currently in the Hall of Fame and another one soon to join in Paul Pierce, the Boston Celtics have witnessed some of the best individual talents and performances the NBA has seen.
Despite this, no Celtic had ever scored 60 points in a game before Larry Bird did it in 1985, and no Celtic has done it since.
Bird lit up the Atlanta Hawks, showcasing his full repertoire of shots from inside, outside and even behind the basket. He finished the game with extremely efficient marks of 61.1 percent shooting overall and 93.8 percent from the free-throw line, attempting just four three-pointers.
It marked the only time Bird reached the 60-point plateau in his 1,061 career regular-season and playoff games, and stands as a Boston record to this day.
No. 8: Rick Barry Nearly Triple-Doubles for His 64 Points
3 of 10
Box Score Rank: 6
Efficiency Rank: 4
Significance Rank: 8
Average Rank: 6
Rick Barry had one of the most impressive all-around 60-point games in NBA history, just barely missing a triple-double in 1974.
While dropping 64 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, Barry also racked up 10 rebounds, nine assists and five steals.
With no three-point line at the time to rack up some quick buckets, Barry’s 30 field goals tied Wilt Chamberlain for the most in a 60-point game in NBA history. Barry finished the game 30-of-45 overall (66.7 percent shooting) and connected on four of his five underhand free throws.
It also marked only the second time in league history that a small forward had recorded a 60-point game, with Elgin Baylor being the first.
No. 7: Michael Jordan Sets NBA Record with 63 Points in a Playoff Game
4 of 10Box Score Rank: 8
Efficiency Rank: 8
Significance Rank: 2
Average Rank: 6
Michael Jordan's playoff career high in scoring didn't come in any of the Chicago Bulls' six championship runs, but rather during his sophomore season against one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
Jordan scored 63 points against the Celtics in Boston, breaking Elgin Baylor's record of 61 points in a playoff game. The Celtics were 40-1 at home in 1985-86 and would later go on to win the championship behind Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson and Bill Walton.
The Bulls went just 30-52 in the regular season and had not yet assembled their championship core of Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and Bill Cartwright. Jordan was playing the Celtics with hardly any help, scoring his 63 in a 135-131 double-overtime loss.
It would be the first of five 60-plus-point games for Jordan and still stands today as an NBA playoff record. With his average rank score tying Barry's, Jordan gets the edge here given that his scoring outburst came in the postseason.
No. 6: Karl Malone Goes a Combined 40-of-49 on FGs and FTs for 61 Points
5 of 10Box Score Rank: 5
Efficiency Rank: 2
Significance Rank: 10
Average Rank: 5.7
The second-leading scorer in NBA history, Karl Malone registered just one 60-point game in his career. What he lacked in quantity, the Mailman certainly made up for in quality.
Malone took 49 shots from the field and free-throw line against the Milwaukee Bucks in 1990, making 40 of them. The result was an absolute thrashing, with the Utah Jazz winning the game by a final score of 144-96.
Malone's field-goal percentage of 80.8 percent was the second-highest of any of the 63 60-point games in history, finishing behind only Wilt Chamberlain in 1969.
The 26-year-old power forward also pulled down 18 rebounds and finished with three steals and two assists.
No. 5: LeBron James Scores Career-High 61 Points with Broken Nose
6 of 10Box Score Rank: 7
Efficiency Rank: 3
Significance Rank: 6
Average Rank: 5.3
Now up to No. 3 on the all-time scoring list, LeBron James has scored 60 points or more just once in his NBA career...doing so with a broken nose.
Donning a mask to help his broken nose heal during his final season with the Miami Heat in 2013-14, James needed a big performance to lift the Heat in a game Dwyane Wade was resting. He certainly responded.
James finished 22-of-33 from the field for his 61 points, including 8-of-10 from three.
"Once he sniffed 60, we knew he was going for it," Heat forward Shane Battier said after the game. "And the amazing part is the efficiency. Good Lord. Sixty-one on 33 shots, that's Wilt Chamberlain-esque. That's pretty amazing. Incredible performance."
Only James Harden and Damian Lillard have hit more three-pointers in a 60-piece, with James showcasing all areas of his offensive game in a win that night.
No. 4: Michael Jordan's Career-High 69 Points
7 of 10Box Score Rank: 2
Efficiency Rank: 6
Significance: 7
Average Rank: 5
The highest-scoring performance of Jordan's career and the only 69-point game in NBA history, March 28, 1990, was a special night for the Chicago Bulls legend.
After knocking the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the playoffs the previous season with "The Shot," Jordan would once again wreak havoc on his Eastern Conference foe.
Not only did Jordan set his personal scoring record, but his 18 rebounds would go on to become his regular-season high as well. Jordan also collected six assists, four steals and a block in his 50 total minutes.
Chicago beat Cleveland 117-113 in overtime in one of Jordan's all-time greatest games.
No. 3: James Harden Records First 60-Point Triple-Double in History
8 of 10Box Score Rank: 4
Efficiency Rank: 5
Significance Rank: 4
Average Rank: 4.3
While Rick Barry finished an assist shy of becoming the first player in NBA history to record a 60-point triple-double, James Harden finally completed the task 44 years later.
Out of Harden's four 60-point games, this was the most special.
Not only had every player failed to record a triple-double while registering such a scoring tally, but Harden became the first player to rack up 10 or more assists while dropping 60 points.
While the extra stats were impressive, Harden also set a record with his two-point efficiency, going 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) from inside the arc.
In the end, Harden put up 60 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals and a block in a 114-107 win over the Orlando Magic. He would go on to win MVP for the 2017-18 season.
No. 2: Elgin Baylor Sets Record 61 Points in 1962 NBA Finals
9 of 10Box Score Rank: 3
Efficiency Rank: 9
Significance: 1
Average Rank: 4.3
In the most important 60-point game in NBA history, Elgin Baylor lit up the Boston Celtics for 61 points in Game 5 of the 1962 Finals.
This was a Celtics team that featured seven future Hall of Famers, including arguably the greatest defensive player of all time in Bill Russell.
Baylor's big night gave the Los Angeles Lakers a 3-2 series lead before the Celtics won Games 6 and 7 to take home the 1961-62 title.
Baylor's 61 points were a playoff record at the time before Michael Jordan scored 63 in 1986 and still stand as a Finals record to this day. While tying Harden in average rank score, Baylor gets the edge based on the magnitude of the stage.
No. 1: Wilt Chamberlain Drops 66 Points, 27 Rebounds on 83 Percent Shooting
10 of 10
Box Score Rank: 1
Efficiency Rank: 1
Significance Rank: 9
Average Rank: 3.6
In 1969, Wilt Chamberlain simply couldn't miss against the Phoenix Suns in the most efficient 60-point game of all-time.
Finishing 29-of-35 from the field for his 66 points, Chamberlain's 82.9 field-goal percentage ranks first among all 63 60-point games, including his personal 26. He nearly outscored the rest of his team (68-66) in a 134-116 win over the Suns.
His 27 rebounds that night have only been outdone in a 60-point showing by George Mikan, Elgin Baylor and some of his own previous performances, and Chamberlain added four assists as well.
While his 60-point game didn't come in the Finals like Baylor's, Chamberlain was nearly twice as accurate (82.9 percent shooting to Baylor's 47.8 percent) from the field.
Given his accuracy and outstanding rebounding and passing effort, Chamberlain takes the honors with the greatest 60-point game of all time.
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