- 1,277
- 86
- 48
Each week during the season, NBA.com writer John Schuhmann surveys the league to compile stats and notes for his in-depth Power Rankings. Before the next rankings drop on Monday, here are some of the storylines he’s keeping an eye on this weekend.
1. 40-point games
We’re a little less than halfway through the season and with a 44-point performance from Kevin Durant on Wednesday, there have been 89 40-point games, which is already the 11th-highest total in the league’s 77 seasons. At this pace, the league would finish with 190 40-point games, 48 more than we’ve had in any other season.
It seems like there’s a big performance (or two, or three) every night. Over the four days in January, there have been seven 40-point games, including Donovan Mitchell’s incredible 71-point performance, one of five 40-point games on Monday alone. But this isn’t the highest rate of 40-point games the league has seen. When there were 142 40-point games in 1961-62, there were only nine teams and 360 games played total. So for every five games played, there were two 40-point performances. This season, there are two for every 13 games played.
Most 40-point games in an NBA season
40PG = 40-point games from an individual player.
Total GP = Total games played in the league.
% = 40PG / Total GP
Rank = % rank among the 77 NBA seasons
The ’61-62 season was, of course, the season in which Wilt Chamberlain averaged an NBA-record 50.4 points per game, playing in all 80 of the Philadelphia Warriors’ games and averaging 48.5 minutes per contest. He scored 40-plus in 63 (79%) of the 80, accounting for 44% of the league’s 142 40-point performances. But it wasn’t all Chamberlain that season. There were four other players — Elgin Baylor (16), Walt Bellamy (12), Jerry West (11) and Bob Pettitt (10) — who had at least 10 games of 40-plus in ’61-62.
Chamberlain is obviously the all-time leader in 40-point games, with 98 more than any other player. The active leader is James Harden, who is currently fourth on the all-time list with 101:
Most 40-point games in NBA history
Harden is not one of the 32 players with a 40-point game this season, but his Sixers are one of eight teams with multiple players — Joel Embiid (seven times) and Tyrese Maxey (44 on Oct. 28) — who have had 40-plus. The Cavs, Warriors and Blazers each have three players who have scored 40-plus this season. Here’s the complete list of teams with multiple players who’ve scored 40-plus points this season:
The Rockets have allowed seven 40-point games this season, most in the league through Wednesday. They’re followed by the Bulls, Kings and Wizards, who’ve each allowed five. The only teams who’ve yet to allow a 40-point game are the Grizzlies and Thunder, though they’ve each allowed a player to score 39.
Oklahoma City will face one of the league leaders in 40-point games on Sunday, when they host the Dallas Mavericks. Luka Doncic has eight 40-point games thus far, going for 50-plus three times over the course of the Mavs’ current seven-game winning streak.
Most 40-point games, 2022-23
Before they go to Oklahoma City, Doncic and the Mavs will begin a two-game homestand with a matchup with the Boston Celtics on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT). The Mavs are 7-1 in Doncic’s 40-point games this season, with the only loss having come in Boston the night before Thanksgiving (with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to score 68).
1. 40-point games
We’re a little less than halfway through the season and with a 44-point performance from Kevin Durant on Wednesday, there have been 89 40-point games, which is already the 11th-highest total in the league’s 77 seasons. At this pace, the league would finish with 190 40-point games, 48 more than we’ve had in any other season.
It seems like there’s a big performance (or two, or three) every night. Over the four days in January, there have been seven 40-point games, including Donovan Mitchell’s incredible 71-point performance, one of five 40-point games on Monday alone. But this isn’t the highest rate of 40-point games the league has seen. When there were 142 40-point games in 1961-62, there were only nine teams and 360 games played total. So for every five games played, there were two 40-point performances. This season, there are two for every 13 games played.
Most 40-point games in an NBA season
| Season | 40PG | Total GP | % | Rank | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-62 | 142 | 360 | 39% | 1 | Chamberlain (63) |
| 2018-19 | 137 | 1,230 | 11% | 11 | Harden (28) |
| 2020-21 | 119 | 1,080 | 11% | 13 | Curry (11) |
| 2021-22 | 119 | 1,230 | 10% | 17 | Embiid (13) |
| 2019-20 | 116 | 1,059 | 11% | 14 | Harden (21) |
| 2016-17 | 110 | 1,230 | 9% | 19 | Westbrook (18) |
| 2005-06 | 108 | 1,230 | 9% | 20 | Bryant (27) |
| 1962-63 | 98 | 360 | 27% | 2 | Chamberlain (52) |
| 1986-87 | 91 | 943 | 10% | 18 | Jordan (37) |
| 2017-18 | 91 | 1,230 | 7% | 29 | Harden (11) |
| 2022-23 | 89 | 575 | 15% | 7 | Antetokounmpo, Doncic (8) |
| 1989-90 | 88 | 1,107 | 8% | 27 | Jordan (22) |
Total GP = Total games played in the league.
% = 40PG / Total GP
Rank = % rank among the 77 NBA seasons
The ’61-62 season was, of course, the season in which Wilt Chamberlain averaged an NBA-record 50.4 points per game, playing in all 80 of the Philadelphia Warriors’ games and averaging 48.5 minutes per contest. He scored 40-plus in 63 (79%) of the 80, accounting for 44% of the league’s 142 40-point performances. But it wasn’t all Chamberlain that season. There were four other players — Elgin Baylor (16), Walt Bellamy (12), Jerry West (11) and Bob Pettitt (10) — who had at least 10 games of 40-plus in ’61-62.
Chamberlain is obviously the all-time leader in 40-point games, with 98 more than any other player. The active leader is James Harden, who is currently fourth on the all-time list with 101:
Most 40-point games in NBA history
| Player | GP | 40PG | %Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilt Chamberlain | 1,045 | 271 | 26% |
| Michael Jordan | 1,072 | 173 | 16% |
| Kobe Bryant | 1,346 | 122 | 9% |
| James Harden | 964 | 101 | 10% |
| Elgin Baylor | 846 | 88 | 10% |
| Allen Iverson | 914 | 79 | 9% |
| Oscar Robertson | 1,074 | 77 | 7% |
| LeBron James | 1,395 | 71 | 5% |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 1,560 | 70 | 4% |
| Rick Barry | 794 | 70 | 9% |
- Cleveland (3 players, 8 games): Darius Garland (3 times), Caris LeVert (1) and Donovan Mitchell (4)
- Golden State (3, 7): Stephen Curry (3), Jordan Poole (2) and Klay Thompson (2)
- Portland (3, 5): Jerami Grant (1), Damian Lillard (3) and Anfernee Simons (1)
- Philadelphia (2, 8): Joel Embiid (7) and Tyrese Maxey (1)
- Chicago (2, 6): DeMar DeRozan (4) and Zach LaVine (2)
- L.A. Lakers (2, 4): Anthony Davis (2) and LeBron James (2)
- New Orleans (2, 3): CJ McCollum (2) and Zion Williamson (1)
- New York (2, 2): RJ Barrett (1) and Julius Randle (1)
The Rockets have allowed seven 40-point games this season, most in the league through Wednesday. They’re followed by the Bulls, Kings and Wizards, who’ve each allowed five. The only teams who’ve yet to allow a 40-point game are the Grizzlies and Thunder, though they’ve each allowed a player to score 39.
Oklahoma City will face one of the league leaders in 40-point games on Sunday, when they host the Dallas Mavericks. Luka Doncic has eight 40-point games thus far, going for 50-plus three times over the course of the Mavs’ current seven-game winning streak.
Most 40-point games, 2022-23
| Player | GP | 40PG | %Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 32 | 8 | 25% |
| Luka Doncic | 35 | 8 | 23% |
| Joel Embiid | 28 | 7 | 25% |
| Jayson Tatum | 36 | 6 | 17% |
| Devin Booker | 29 | 5 | 17% |