Most Points in an NBA Playoff Game: Single-Game Record for a Player

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

Scoring in the NBA has been way up in recent years, but a hallmark of the NBA Playoffs is that we tend to see scoring fall while teams play at a slower pace and have more time to plan their defenses around specific opponents.

That doesn't mean we haven't seen some seriously impressive offensive performances in recent postseasons. Donovan Mitchell's 57-point outburst in the 2020 bubble may not have set the record, but it was close.

Here are the highest single-game scoring performances in NBA Playoff history.

NBA Playoff Record: Most Points in a Game

11. Rick Barry (1967) — 55 Points

Date: April 18, 1967
Team: San Francisco Warriors
Game Final Score: SF: 130 | PHI: 124
Minutes Played: 46
Field Goals Made/Attempted: 22/48
Points: 55

10. Michael Jordan (1988) — 55 Points

Date: May 1, 1988
Team: Chicago Bulls
Game Final Score: CHI: 106 | CLE: 101
Minutes Played: 44
Field Goals Made/Attempted: 24/45
Points: 55

9. Michael Jordan (1993) — 55 Points

Date: June 16, 1993
Team: Chicago Bulls
Game Final Score: CHI: 111 | PHO: 105
Minutes Played: 46
Field Goals Made/Attempted: 21/37
Points: 55

8. Michael Jordan (1997) — 55 Points

Date: April 27, 1997
Team: Chicago Bulls
Game Final Score: CHI: 109 | WAS: 104
Minutes Played: 44
Field Goals Made/Attempted: 22/35
Points: 55

7. Allen Iverson (2003) — 55 Points

Date: April 20, 2003
Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Game Final Score: PHI: 98 | NO: 90
Minutes Played: 47
Field Goals Made/Attempted: 21/32
Points: 55

6. Wilt Chamberlain (1962) — 56 Points

Date: March 22, 1962
Team: Philadelphia Warriors
Game Final Score: PHI: 121| SYR: 104
Minutes Played: 48
Field Goals Made/Attempted: 22/48
Points: 56

5. Michael Jordan (1992) — 56 Points

Date: April 29, 1992
Team: Chicago Bulls
Game Final Score: CHI: 119 | MIA: 114
Minutes Played: 43
Field Goals Made/Attempted: 20/30
Points: 56

4. Charles Barkley (1994) — 56 Points

Date: May 4, 1994
Team: Phoenix Suns
Game Final Score: PHO: 140 | GSW: 133
Minutes Played: 41
Field Goals Made/Attempted: 23/31
Points: 56

3. Donovan Mitchell (2020) — 57 Points

Date: August 17, 2020
Team: Utah Jazz
Game Final Score: UTA: 125 | DEN: 135
Minutes Played: 43
Field Goals Made/Attempted: 19/33
Points: 57

2. Elgin Baylor (1962) — 61 Points

Date: April 14, 1962
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Game Final Score: LAL: 126 | BOS: 121
Minutes Played: 48
Field Goals Made/Attempted: 22/46
Points: 61

1. Michael Jordan (1986) — 63 Points

Date: April 20, 1986
Team: Chicago Bulls
Game Final Score: CHI: 131 | BOS: 135
Minutes Played: 53
Field Goals Made/Attempted: 22/41
Points: 63

Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.