It has been two decades since the late Kobe Bryant displayed a statline comparable only to Wilt Chamberlain. The Black Mamba scored an astounding 81 points on 46 shot attempts. Bryant, who retired after the 2016 season, left a legendary legacy on the league. His sheer will to get a bucket is unmatched to his predecessors. In the 20 years since Bryant dropped 81 points, five NBA players have scored 70 or more points, two of which were in a 4 day span.
March 24, 2017 – Devin Booker – 70 Points
Only one person in NBA history can say they’ve scored 70 points before legally being allowed to drink alcohol. That person is Suns all-time leading scorer Devin Booker. The former Kentucky Wildcat was just in his second season when he walked into TD Garden and dropped 70 against the contending Celtics. Booker is the only one on this list that lost on his career-high night. Going into the late March game, Phoenix was sitting at second-to-last in the Western Conference.
With starting point guard Eric Bledsoe not playing and a limited rotation, Devin Booker received the green light to let it fly. Booker began the night with 10 points while playing the entire first quarter and entered the second half with 19 points. The Suns’ eight-man rotation was no match for the far more talented Boston Celtics. Star guard Isiah Thomas helped the Celtics jump out to a 23 point halftime lead. The third quarter was much of the same. The Celtics retained their large lead, but not without some contention from Devin Booker. Booker scored 23 points in the third on 6-10 shooting from the field and a perfect 10 for 10 from the charity stripe. Entering the 4th quarter, Devin Booker had already passed his personal career high of 39 set two months earlier. By the middle of the fourth, Boston had emptied the end of their bench and much of the quarter was Booker dribbling around the defense to get a bucket. Devin Booker reached his career-high mark at the free throw line and became the first player since Kobe Bryant to reach 70 points in a single game. Booker received loud ovations from the Boston crowd and praise from all around the league. Since the legendary night, Booker has scored at least 50 points seven times and helped lead the Suns to their first Finals appearance since the 90s.
January 2nd, 2023 – Donovan Mitchell – 71 Points
In only his first season on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell managed to break the franchises single-game scoring record. On the second day of 2023, Mitchell put up one of the best all-around performances in NBA history. The athletic guard dropped 71 points on 34 shot attempts, with eight rebounds and 11 assists. Donovan Mitchell scored nearly half of Cleveland’s points in an overtime win versus the Chicago Bulls.
The early January game started slow for Mitchell. He finished the first quarter with just five points and two assists while going 1-4 from the field and 2-4 from the free throw line. In the second quarter, the scoring jumped a little as Mitchell entered halftime with 16 points. The third quarter was when the former Louisville guard really turned it up. Mitchell dropped 24 points, half of which came at the free throw line. Cleveland began the final quarter down five to Chicago. With a fourth quarter comeback led by Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs had tied the game up with a minute to go. After some back-and-forth baskets, Mitchell was sent to the free throw line down three with four seconds remaining. Mitchell had 55 points at the time and was just two free throws away from tying Lebron James for the most points in a single-game in franchise history. Mitchell made the first free throw. After a high-arcing second attempt missed, Mitchell grabbed the rebound and quickly put up the game-tying layup. With all the momentum shifted to Cleveland, the Cavaliers easily put away the Bulls in overtime. Mitchell scored all but two of Cleveland’s overtime points and finished the night with a historic 71 points.
February 26, 2023 – Damian Lillard – 71 Points
Damian Lillard has made a career off of deep threes and cold-blooded celebrations. While Portland could never make a Finals with Lillard, the undersized guard from Weber State University managed to score an unreal 71 points with 13 threes.
In late February of 2023, Portland was sitting two games below .500 and hosted the Houston Rockets, who had a 13-47 record at the time. After one quarter, Portland held a one point lead and Lillard had already had half of his team’s points. After the second quarter, Lillard’s ridiculous scoring continued and the lead for the Trail Blazers grew. Lillard had 41 points at halftime going 8-11 from behind the arch. Portland’s second leading scorer was Jerami Grant with 10 points. The third quarter was a little calmer for Lillard, however, the long time Blazer got right back to it in the fourth. He dropped 21 points with four threes to finish the game with 71 points, going 13-22 from three-point range and a perfect 14-14 from the free throw line. It was the first time two players scored 70 points in the same season in NBA history. Until two players did it in the same week.
January 22, 2024 – Joel Embiid – 70 Points
Despite a career riddled with injuries, on a very special night, Joel Embiid managed to dominate his way to a 70 point game. The defending MVP has the perfect balance of size, strength and talent to be one of the most dominant bigs in the modern era. On a cold night in Philadelphia, Embiid could not be denied and made the struggling Spurs suffer.
Despite being guarded by a 7 ‘4 alien in Victor Wembanyama, Joel Embiid still managed to drop 70 points in 37 minutes. Embiid started the game with a bang, putting up 24 points on 8-12 shooting in the first quarter. After a quieter second quarter, Embiid entered the half with 34 points and 10 rebounds. A stellar game for any NBA player, but the 7-foot, 280 pound center wasn’t done. Embiid started the second half strong. He delivered with 25 points and another 5 boards in the third quarter. The 76ers entered the fourth up 15 with Embiid leading the team with 59 points. Embiid entered the quarter with just under seven minutes left to play. He finished the fourth with 11 points and added three more rebounds to his historic night. Embiid finished with 70 points and 18 rebounds.
January 26, 2024 – Luka Doncic – 73 Points
Just four days after Embiid’s historic performance, Luka Doncic somehow played an even better game. In a five point win over the Atlanta Hawks, Doncic was just three assists shy of the first ever 70-point triple double.
Despite an 18-point first quarter from Luka, the Mavericks were down after one quarter. In the second, Doncic exceeded his dominant first quarter and helped Dallas tie the game headed into the second half. Doncic scored at every level while scoring 23 points in the second quarter. After another dominant quarter where Doncic only missed one shot, Dallas held a four point lead headed into the fourth quarter. Doncic hit his 73rd point of the night with just under a minute to play on the free throw of an and-one layup. The 24-year old Slovenian became the only player not named WIlt Chamberlain or Kobe Bryant to score at least 73 points in a single game.
With the rise of three point shooting and overall scoring, high scoring games are becoming more and more common in the NBA. While Kobe’s 81 still stands at second most all time, perhaps a talented scorer can surpass the Black Mamba.