Sports Reference Blog

Best NBA Scoring Duos in One Game (Mailbag)

Posted by Neil on March 5, 2013

We get asked this question a lot, and unfortunately it's not currently possible to find the answer via the Play Index, so I decided to put up a leaderboard once and for all. The most recent version of the question comes from BBR user Reggie:

I’ve seen references on here to games where two teammates scored 40 or more in the same game. But which teammates combined to score the most points in any game? [...]

One game that I remember very well as a Mavericks fan, which is often overlooked, was the overtime game they won at Chicago on November 13, 1994. That was the game where Jamal Mashburn hit for 50 and Jim Jackson went for 38, the two scoring 88 of the 124 points that night in the four point Mavs victory.

Since we have complete box scores (1985-86), here are the 200 most potent scoring duos in a single NBA game:

Date Team Opp Loc W/L #1 Scorer Pts #2 Scorer Pts Total Pts
1/22/2006 LAL TOR H W Kobe Bryant 81 Smush Parker 13 94
2/2/2009 LAL NYK A W Kobe Bryant 61 Pau Gasol 31 92
2/19/2012 OKC DEN H W Kevin Durant 51 Russell Westbrook 40 91
11/9/1989 SEA MIL A L Dale Ellis 53 Xavier McDaniel 37 90
11/12/1994 DAL CHI A W Jamal Mashburn 50 Jim Jackson 38 88
12/22/2006 WAS PHO A W Gilbert Arenas 54 Caron Butler 34 88
4/20/1986 CHI BOS A L Michael Jordan 63 Orlando Woolridge 24 87
4/29/1992 CHI MIA A W Michael Jordan 56 Scottie Pippen 31 87
12/17/2006 WAS LAL A W Gilbert Arenas 60 Caron Butler 27 87
4/19/1986 ATL DET H W Dominique Wilkins 50 Randy Wittman 35 85
3/28/1990 CHI CLE A W Michael Jordan 69 Horace Grant 16 85
11/26/1994 DAL DEN A W Jim Jackson 50 Jamal Mashburn 35 85
2/21/2003 NOH MEM H W Jamal Mashburn 50 David Wesley 35 85
11/5/2008 SAS MIN A W Tony Parker 55 Tim Duncan 30 85
3/23/2012 OKC MIN H W Russell Westbrook 45 Kevin Durant 40 85
2/18/1996 CHI IND A W Michael Jordan 44 Scottie Pippen 40 84
4/30/1988 HOU DAL A W Sleepy Floyd 42 Hakeem Olajuwon 41 83
3/6/2000 LAL LAC A W Shaquille O'Neal 61 Kobe Bryant 22 83
4/12/2009 MIA NYK H W Dwyane Wade 55 Michael Beasley 28 83
1/18/2013 OKC DAL A W Kevin Durant 52 Russell Westbrook 31 83
11/28/1992 IND CHH A W Reggie Miller 57 Detlef Schrempf 25 82
2/17/1993 NYK CHH A W Patrick Ewing 43 John Starks 39 82
1/26/2002 NYK MIL A W Latrell Sprewell 48 Allan Houston 34 82
11/27/2009 DEN NYK H W Carmelo Anthony 50 Chauncey Billups 32 82
3/4/1989 GSW SAC H W Mitch Richmond 47 Chris Mullin 34 81
1/16/1993 CHI ORL H L Michael Jordan 64 Scottie Pippen 17 81
5/5/1995 HOU UTA H W Clyde Drexler 41 Hakeem Olajuwon 40 81
3/28/2003 LAL WAS H W Kobe Bryant 55 Shaquille O'Neal 26 81
3/31/2006 PHI NYK A W Allen Iverson 47 Chris Webber 34 81
3/4/1987 CHI DET A W Michael Jordan 61 Sedale Threatt 19 80
4/16/1987 CHI ATL H L Michael Jordan 61 Charles Oakley 19 80
1/6/1989 POR SAC H W Clyde Drexler 50 Kevin Duckworth 30 80
1/27/1990 UTA MIL H W Karl Malone 61 Darrell Griffith 19 80
2/18/1990 PHO GSW A W Tom Chambers 56 Jeff Hornacek 24 80
4/19/1990 HOU DEN H L Hakeem Olajuwon 52 Sleepy Floyd 28 80
3/29/1993 ATL POR H W Dominique Wilkins 48 Kevin Willis 32 80
5/4/1994 PHO GSW A W Charles Barkley 56 Dan Majerle 24 80
4/11/1995 DAL HOU A W Jamal Mashburn 42 Jason Kidd 38 80
12/7/1996 MIL WSB A W Glenn Robinson 44 Vin Baker 36 80
5/6/2000 IND PHI H W Reggie Miller 40 Jalen Rose 40 80
3/20/2005 CLE TOR A L LeBron James 56 Drew Gooden 24 80
3/23/2006 DAL GSW H L Dirk Nowitzki 51 Jason Terry 29 80
3/16/2007 LAL POR H W Kobe Bryant 65 Lamar Odom 15 80
3/22/2007 LAL MEM A W Kobe Bryant 60 Lamar Odom 20 80
12/23/1986 LAL SAC A W Magic Johnson 46 Byron Scott 33 79
1/9/1988 SEA SAS H W Dale Ellis 47 Tom Chambers 32 79
1/10/1991 WSB LAC H W Bernard King 45 Harvey Grant 34 79
11/20/1992 CHI LAL A L Michael Jordan 54 Scottie Pippen 25 79
4/24/1994 SAS LAC A W David Robinson 71 Dennis Rodman 8 79
3/22/1996 ORL WSB A W Shaquille O'Neal 49 Anfernee Hardaway 30 79
3/12/2000 LAL SAC H W Kobe Bryant 40 Shaquille O'Neal 39 79
12/1/2000 LAL SAS H W Kobe Bryant 43 Shaquille O'Neal 36 79
4/13/2002 ATL CLE H W Jason Terry 43 Shareef Abdur-Rahim 36 79
2/6/2003 LAL NYK A W Kobe Bryant 46 Shaquille O'Neal 33 79
2/8/2006 WAS GSW H W Gilbert Arenas 45 Caron Butler 34 79
1/12/2007 SEA UTA H W Ray Allen 54 Nick Collison 25 79
3/1/2009 LAL PHO A L Kobe Bryant 49 Pau Gasol 30 79
2/26/2013 MIA SAC H W LeBron James 40 Dwyane Wade 39 79
12/11/1990 UTA GSW H W Jeff Malone 43 Karl Malone 35 78
12/5/1992 ATL SAS H W Dominique Wilkins 44 Kevin Willis 34 78
12/16/1994 ORL GSW A W Shaquille O'Neal 40 Anfernee Hardaway 38 78
11/29/2002 LAL MEM A W Kobe Bryant 45 Shaquille O'Neal 33 78
3/23/2003 GSW WAS H W Gilbert Arenas 41 Antawn Jamison 37 78
1/21/2005 SAS PHO A W Manu Ginobili 48 Tim Duncan 30 78
2/12/2005 PHI ORL H W Allen Iverson 60 Corliss Williamson 18 78
2/20/2009 CLE MIL A W LeBron James 55 Mo Williams 23 78
3/14/2009 MIA UTA H W Dwyane Wade 50 Jermaine O'Neal 28 78
1/9/2011 MIA POR A W LeBron James 44 Dwyane Wade 34 78
4/14/2012 OKC MIN A W Kevin Durant 43 Russell Westbrook 35 78
3/10/1987 SEA HOU A W Tom Chambers 42 Dale Ellis 35 77
4/3/1988 CHI DET A W Michael Jordan 59 Sam Vincent 18 77
1/21/1989 CHI PHO H L Michael Jordan 53 Scottie Pippen 24 77
2/17/1989 PHO BOS H W Tom Chambers 40 Eddie Johnson 37 77
12/29/1989 DAL POR H L Derek Harper 42 Rolando Blackman 35 77
1/13/1990 ORL GSW A L Terry Catledge 49 Reggie Theus 28 77
3/23/1991 DEN MIL H L Michael Adams 54 Reggie Williams 23 77
5/19/1992 POR UTA H W Terry Porter 41 Clyde Drexler 36 77
6/1/1993 PHO SEA H W Charles Barkley 43 Dan Majerle 34 77
11/22/1995 CHH BOS H L Larry Johnson 44 Glen Rice 33 77
1/14/2005 POR NOH A L Damon Stoudamire 54 Nick Van Exel 23 77
5/20/2005 PHO DAL A W Steve Nash 39 Shawn Marion 38 77
3/3/2006 PHI WAS H W Allen Iverson 47 Chris Webber 30 77
4/7/2007 NYK MIL A W Eddy Curry 43 Nate Robinson 34 77
12/5/2007 DEN LAL H L Allen Iverson 51 Carmelo Anthony 26 77
3/31/2008 PHO DEN H W Amare Stoudemire 41 Steve Nash 36 77
2/7/2009 MIL DET H L Ramon Sessions 44 Charlie Villanueva 33 77
1/14/2013 OKC PHO A W Kevin Durant 41 Russell Westbrook 36 77
2/11/1986 DET NJN A L Isiah Thomas 39 Kelly Tripucka 37 76
2/14/1986 BOS POR A W Larry Bird 47 Dennis Johnson 29 76
12/10/1986 ATL CHI H W Dominique Wilkins 57 Doc Rivers 19 76
5/10/1987 BOS MIL A W Larry Bird 42 Kevin McHale 34 76
1/26/1988 SEA SAC A W Dale Ellis 42 Xavier McDaniel 34 76
3/16/1990 BOS ORL A W Larry Bird 46 Kevin McHale 30 76
5/26/1990 CHI DET H W Michael Jordan 47 Scottie Pippen 29 76
12/27/1990 CHI GSW H W Michael Jordan 42 Scottie Pippen 34 76
4/15/1995 MIA ORL H W Glen Rice 56 Khalid Reeves 20 76
12/6/2000 LAL GSW A L Kobe Bryant 51 Shaquille O'Neal 25 76
4/3/2001 DET CHI A W Jerry Stackhouse 57 Chucky Atkins 19 76
1/16/2004 ORL BOS H W Tracy McGrady 44 Drew Gooden 32 76
3/10/2004 ORL WAS H W Tracy McGrady 62 Juwan Howard 14 76
1/10/2006 DEN PHO H W Carmelo Anthony 43 Earl Boykins 33 76
5/3/2006 WAS CLE A L Gilbert Arenas 44 Antawn Jamison 32 76
4/14/2010 GSW POR A W Stephen Curry 42 Monta Ellis 34 76
3/23/2012 MIN OKC A L Kevin Love 51 Jose Barea 25 76
4/10/1986 ATL NJN H W Dominique Wilkins 57 Randy Wittman 18 75
11/7/1987 BOS WSB A W Larry Bird 47 Danny Ainge 28 75
1/27/1988 BOS WSB H W Larry Bird 49 Robert Parish 26 75
3/10/1989 DEN MIA A L Alex English 51 Danny Schayes 24 75
3/24/1990 PHO SEA H W Tom Chambers 60 Kenny Battle 15 75
1/18/1991 GSW PHI A W Tim Hardaway 40 Mitch Richmond 35 75
2/23/1991 DEN GSW H W Michael Adams 41 Orlando Woolridge 34 75
4/23/1992 CLE NJN H W Brad Daugherty 40 Mark Price 35 75
4/17/1993 ATL CHH H L Dominique Wilkins 41 Kevin Willis 34 75
12/10/1994 SEA LAC A W Shawn Kemp 42 Gary Payton 33 75
2/8/1999 DET WAS H W Grant Hill 46 Jerry Stackhouse 29 75
12/6/2000 GSW LAL H W Antawn Jamison 51 Larry Hughes 24 75
4/11/2004 CHI TOR A W Jamal Crawford 50 Eddy Curry 25 75
2/4/2005 SAC NYK H W Mike Bibby 40 Brad Miller 35 75
1/21/2006 CLE UTA A W LeBron James 51 Donyell Marshall 24 75
11/11/2006 MIL UTA H L Michael Redd 57 Ruben Patterson 18 75
12/7/2006 PHO NJN A W Steve Nash 42 Shawn Marion 33 75
3/4/2007 CHI MIL A W Ben Gordon 48 Luol Deng 27 75
4/5/2008 DEN SAC H L Carmelo Anthony 47 Linas Kleiza 28 75
11/30/2008 NJN PHO A W Devin Harris 47 Vince Carter 28 75
12/19/2008 NJN DAL H W Devin Harris 41 Vince Carter 34 75
1/23/2009 LAC OKC H W Eric Gordon 41 Al Thornton 34 75
2/20/2009 PHO OKC H W Leandro Barbosa 41 Jason Richardson 34 75
12/1/2010 OKC NJN A W Russell Westbrook 38 Jeff Green 37 75
1/28/2011 OKC WAS H W Kevin Durant 40 Russell Westbrook 35 75
5/9/2011 OKC MEM A W Russell Westbrook 40 Kevin Durant 35 75
2/20/2013 HOU OKC H W James Harden 46 Jeremy Lin 29 75
2/24/1986 DET CHI H W Kelly Tripucka 41 Isiah Thomas 33 74
3/3/1986 DAL PHO A W Mark Aguirre 42 Rolando Blackman 32 74
4/17/1986 CHI BOS A L Michael Jordan 49 Orlando Woolridge 25 74
11/15/1986 DET BOS H L Adrian Dantley 41 Isiah Thomas 33 74
1/3/1987 CHI DET H W Michael Jordan 47 Brad Sellers 27 74
2/16/1987 WSB PHO A W Jeff Malone 38 Moses Malone 36 74
2/26/1987 CHI NJN H W Michael Jordan 58 John Paxson 16 74
5/10/1987 GSW LAL H W Sleepy Floyd 51 Joe Barry Carroll 23 74
4/15/1988 CLE BOS H W Brad Daugherty 44 Ron Harper 30 74
5/4/1988 UTA POR H W Thurl Bailey 39 Karl Malone 35 74
2/28/1989 PHO POR A L Tom Chambers 42 Kevin Johnson 32 74
11/10/1989 MIN PHI H W Tony Campbell 38 Tyrone Corbin 36 74
11/7/1990 SAS DEN H W David Robinson 43 Terry Cummings 31 74
12/1/1990 LAC DEN A W Charles Smith 52 Danny Manning 22 74
4/5/1991 HOU DEN A W Vernon Maxwell 45 Kenny Smith 29 74
4/13/1991 UTA DEN H W Karl Malone 41 Jeff Malone 33 74
12/21/1991 CHI ATL H W Michael Jordan 37 Scottie Pippen 37 74
12/25/1993 PHO HOU H W Charles Barkley 38 Kevin Johnson 36 74
3/9/1994 DET NJN H W Joe Dumars 44 Terry Mills 30 74
12/30/1994 ORL LAC H W Shaquille O'Neal 38 Anfernee Hardaway 36 74
3/17/1995 MIA LAC A W Glen Rice 45 Billy Owens 29 74
3/28/1995 CHI NYK A W Michael Jordan 55 Scottie Pippen 19 74
11/8/1995 ORL NJN H W Anfernee Hardaway 42 Dennis Scott 32 74
12/18/1995 CHI BOS A W Michael Jordan 37 Scottie Pippen 37 74
4/4/1996 CHI MIA H W Michael Jordan 40 Toni Kukoc 34 74
11/20/1996 CHI PHO A W Michael Jordan 37 Scottie Pippen 37 74
1/13/1997 NJN ORL H L Kendall Gill 41 Robert Pack 33 74
4/15/2000 DEN LAC A W Nick Van Exel 44 Antonio McDyess 30 74
1/6/2001 PHI CLE A W Allen Iverson 54 Aaron McKie 20 74
1/18/2001 GSW HOU H L Antawn Jamison 43 Bob Sura 31 74
1/15/2002 PHI HOU H W Allen Iverson 58 Speedy Claxton 16 74
12/9/2002 MIL CLE A W Sam Cassell 39 Michael Redd 35 74
1/31/2003 LAL SAC A W Kobe Bryant 38 Shaquille O'Neal 36 74
2/21/2003 ORL CHI H W Tracy McGrady 52 Drew Gooden 22 74
3/5/2003 ORL MIL H W Tracy McGrady 48 Drew Gooden 26 74
12/20/2004 HOU TOR H W Yao Ming 40 Tracy McGrady 34 74
3/31/2006 TOR PHO H L Morris Peterson 38 Mike James 36 74
12/27/2006 NYK DET H W Stephon Marbury 41 Eddy Curry 33 74
12/13/2008 DAL OKC H W Dirk Nowitzki 46 Jason Terry 28 74
12/18/2008 POR PHO H W Brandon Roy 52 Steve Blake 22 74
4/3/2009 NOH GSW A L Chris Paul 43 David West 31 74
4/30/2009 BOS CHI A L Ray Allen 51 Glen Davis 23 74
11/14/2009 MIL GSW H W Brandon Jennings 55 Andrew Bogut 19 74
5/8/1985 BOS DET H W Larry Bird 43 Dennis Johnson 30 73
12/21/1985 ATL HOU H W Dominique Wilkins 49 Kevin Willis 24 73
1/22/1986 DEN NJN H W Alex English 43 Calvin Natt 30 73
12/13/1986 NYK ATL H L Patrick Ewing 43 Gerald Wilkins 30 73
1/16/1987 BOS CLE H W Kevin McHale 38 Larry Bird 35 73
2/3/1987 ATL BOS H W Dominique Wilkins 54 John Battle 19 73
3/11/1987 DEN UTA H W Darrell Walker 39 Alex English 34 73
3/23/1987 SEA NYK A W Xavier McDaniel 40 Tom Chambers 33 73
5/14/1987 SEA HOU H W Tom Chambers 37 Dale Ellis 36 73
12/19/1987 ATL UTA H W Dominique Wilkins 46 John Battle 27 73
12/20/1987 PHO SAC A W Larry Nance 45 James Edwards 28 73
1/1/1988 POR PHI H W Clyde Drexler 37 Jerome Kersey 36 73
1/22/1988 SEA DET H W Dale Ellis 47 Xavier McDaniel 26 73
2/15/1988 BOS PHO A W Larry Bird 49 Kevin McHale 24 73
11/12/1988 PHO LAC A L Eddie Johnson 45 Tom Chambers 28 73
12/6/1988 DEN NYK A L Alex English 38 Michael Adams 35 73
3/17/1989 PHO POR H W Kevin Johnson 39 Tom Chambers 34 73
11/3/1989 CHI CLE H W Michael Jordan 54 Scottie Pippen 19 73
3/27/1990 PHO MIL A L Kevin Johnson 44 Eddie Johnson 29 73
4/9/1990 PHO UTA H W Kevin Johnson 37 Tom Chambers 36 73
4/26/1990 PHI CLE H W Charles Barkley 38 Hersey Hawkins 35 73
5/15/1990 POR SAS H W Terry Porter 38 Clyde Drexler 35 73
1/3/1991 WSB CHH H W Bernard King 46 Harvey Grant 27 73
1/31/1991 DEN NJN H W Michael Adams 45 Reggie Williams 28 73
2/7/1991 WSB NJN H W Bernard King 47 Harvey Grant 26 73
3/6/1991 WSB UTA H L Bernard King 50 Pervis Ellison 23 73
4/7/1991 CHI PHI H L Michael Jordan 41 Scottie Pippen 32 73
3/19/1992 CHI WSB A W Michael Jordan 51 Scottie Pippen 22 73
12/8/1992 ATL CHI H W Dominique Wilkins 42 Kevin Willis 31 73
1/16/1993 SAS CHH H W David Robinson 52 Dale Ellis 21 73
2/16/1993 ORL DET A L Shaquille O'Neal 46 Scott Skiles 27 73
12/9/1995 CHI MIL A W Michael Jordan 45 Scottie Pippen 28 73
1/15/1996 CHI WSB A W Michael Jordan 46 Scottie Pippen 27 73
5/8/1996 ORL ATL H W Shaquille O'Neal 41 Anfernee Hardaway 32 73
3/22/2001 BOS NJN A W Paul Pierce 44 Antoine Walker 29 73
5/6/2001 LAL SAC H W Shaquille O'Neal 44 Kobe Bryant 29 73
5/13/2001 LAL SAC A W Kobe Bryant 48 Shaquille O'Neal 25 73
5/19/2001 LAL SAS A W Kobe Bryant 45 Shaquille O'Neal 28 73
12/1/2001 BOS NJN A W Paul Pierce 48 Antoine Walker 25 73
12/11/2001 NYK BOS H L Latrell Sprewell 49 Allan Houston 24 73
1/17/2003 HOU LAL H W Steve Francis 44 Cuttino Mobley 29 73
1/20/2003 BOS PHI A W Paul Pierce 40 Antoine Walker 33 73
4/5/2005 WAS BOS H L Gilbert Arenas 43 Antawn Jamison 30 73
4/8/2005 LAL SEA A W Kobe Bryant 42 Caron Butler 31 73
5/3/2005 SAC SEA A L Peja Stojakovic 38 Mike Bibby 35 73
11/19/2005 CLE PHI A W Larry Hughes 37 LeBron James 36 73
6/1/2006 DAL PHO H W Dirk Nowitzki 50 Josh Howard 23 73
11/4/2006 WAS BOS H W Gilbert Arenas 44 Antawn Jamison 29 73
1/12/2007 DAL IND A W Dirk Nowitzki 43 Jason Terry 30 73
3/14/2007 PHO DAL A W Amare Stoudemire 41 Steve Nash 32 73
3/17/2007 DEN PHO H W Allen Iverson 44 Carmelo Anthony 29 73
4/7/2007 NJN WAS H W Vince Carter 46 Richard Jefferson 27 73
4/16/2007 HOU PHO H W Tracy McGrady 39 Yao Ming 34 73
12/20/2007 DEN HOU H W Carmelo Anthony 37 Allen Iverson 36 73
11/29/2008 NYK GSW H W David Lee 37 Al Harrington 36 73
12/18/2009 WAS GSW A W Gilbert Arenas 45 Caron Butler 28 73
1/30/2010 POR DAL A W Andre Miller 52 LaMarcus Aldridge 21 73
1/31/2010 OKC GSW H W Kevin Durant 45 Russell Westbrook 28 73
2/8/2010 ORL NOH H W Vince Carter 48 Dwight Howard 25 73
4/16/2011 ORL ATL H L Dwight Howard 46 Jameer Nelson 27 73
2/7/2012 GSW OKC H L Monta Ellis 48 David Lee 25 73
1/1/2013 NYK POR H L Carmelo Anthony 45 J.R. Smith 28 73
1/20/2013 OKC DEN A L Kevin Durant 37 Russell Westbrook 36 73

Now, some of you may be saying (and I agree) that the above list is misleading, since you're not really looking for situations like Kobe's 81-point game, where one guy scored a ton of points and the second guy just rode his coattails onto the list. So in order to make sure both scorers have high totals, here are games sorted by the Geometric Mean of the two top scorers' totals:

Date Team Opp Loc W/L #1 Scorer Pts #2 Scorer Pts Geom
2/19/2012 OKC DEN H W Kevin Durant 51 Russell Westbrook 40 45.2
11/9/1989 SEA MIL A L Dale Ellis 53 Xavier McDaniel 37 44.3
11/12/1994 DAL CHI A W Jamal Mashburn 50 Jim Jackson 38 43.6
2/2/2009 LAL NYK A W Kobe Bryant 61 Pau Gasol 31 43.5
12/22/2006 WAS PHO A W Gilbert Arenas 54 Caron Butler 34 42.8
3/23/2012 OKC MIN H W Russell Westbrook 45 Kevin Durant 40 42.4
2/18/1996 CHI IND A W Michael Jordan 44 Scottie Pippen 40 42.0
4/19/1986 ATL DET H W Dominique Wilkins 50 Randy Wittman 35 41.8
11/26/1994 DAL DEN A W Jim Jackson 50 Jamal Mashburn 35 41.8
2/21/2003 NOH MEM H W Jamal Mashburn 50 David Wesley 35 41.8
4/29/1992 CHI MIA A W Michael Jordan 56 Scottie Pippen 31 41.7
4/30/1988 HOU DAL A W Sleepy Floyd 42 Hakeem Olajuwon 41 41.5
2/17/1993 NYK CHH A W Patrick Ewing 43 John Starks 39 41.0
11/5/2008 SAS MIN A W Tony Parker 55 Tim Duncan 30 40.6
5/5/1995 HOU UTA H W Clyde Drexler 41 Hakeem Olajuwon 40 40.5
1/26/2002 NYK MIL A W Latrell Sprewell 48 Allan Houston 34 40.4
12/17/2006 WAS LAL A W Gilbert Arenas 60 Caron Butler 27 40.2
1/18/2013 OKC DAL A W Kevin Durant 52 Russell Westbrook 31 40.1
11/27/2009 DEN NYK H W Carmelo Anthony 50 Chauncey Billups 32 40.0
5/6/2000 IND PHI H W Reggie Miller 40 Jalen Rose 40 40.0
3/4/1989 GSW SAC H W Mitch Richmond 47 Chris Mullin 34 40.0
3/31/2006 PHI NYK A W Allen Iverson 47 Chris Webber 34 40.0
4/11/1995 DAL HOU A W Jamal Mashburn 42 Jason Kidd 38 39.9
12/7/1996 MIL WSB A W Glenn Robinson 44 Vin Baker 36 39.8
3/12/2000 LAL SAC H W Kobe Bryant 40 Shaquille O'Neal 39 39.5
2/26/2013 MIA SAC H W LeBron James 40 Dwyane Wade 39 39.5
12/1/2000 LAL SAS H W Kobe Bryant 43 Shaquille O'Neal 36 39.3
4/13/2002 ATL CLE H W Jason Terry 43 Shareef Abdur-Rahim 36 39.3
4/12/2009 MIA NYK H W Dwyane Wade 55 Michael Beasley 28 39.2
3/29/1993 ATL POR H W Dominique Wilkins 48 Kevin Willis 32 39.2
1/10/1991 WSB LAC H W Bernard King 45 Harvey Grant 34 39.1
2/8/2006 WAS GSW H W Gilbert Arenas 45 Caron Butler 34 39.1
12/16/1994 ORL GSW A W Shaquille O'Neal 40 Anfernee Hardaway 38 39.0
12/23/1986 LAL SAC A W Magic Johnson 46 Byron Scott 33 39.0
2/6/2003 LAL NYK A W Kobe Bryant 46 Shaquille O'Neal 33 39.0
3/23/2003 GSW WAS H W Gilbert Arenas 41 Antawn Jamison 37 38.9
4/20/1986 CHI BOS A L Michael Jordan 63 Orlando Woolridge 24 38.9
12/11/1990 UTA GSW H W Jeff Malone 43 Karl Malone 35 38.8
4/14/2012 OKC MIN A W Kevin Durant 43 Russell Westbrook 35 38.8
1/9/1988 SEA SAS H W Dale Ellis 47 Tom Chambers 32 38.8
1/6/1989 POR SAC H W Clyde Drexler 50 Kevin Duckworth 30 38.7
12/5/1992 ATL SAS H W Dominique Wilkins 44 Kevin Willis 34 38.7
1/9/2011 MIA POR A W LeBron James 44 Dwyane Wade 34 38.7
11/29/2002 LAL MEM A W Kobe Bryant 45 Shaquille O'Neal 33 38.5
5/20/2005 PHO DAL A W Steve Nash 39 Shawn Marion 38 38.5
2/17/1989 PHO BOS H W Tom Chambers 40 Eddie Johnson 37 38.5
3/23/2006 DAL GSW H L Dirk Nowitzki 51 Jason Terry 29 38.5
5/19/1992 POR UTA H W Terry Porter 41 Clyde Drexler 36 38.4
3/31/2008 PHO DEN H W Amare Stoudemire 41 Steve Nash 36 38.4
1/14/2013 OKC PHO A W Kevin Durant 41 Russell Westbrook 36 38.4
3/22/1996 ORL WSB A W Shaquille O'Neal 49 Anfernee Hardaway 30 38.3
3/1/2009 LAL PHO A L Kobe Bryant 49 Pau Gasol 30 38.3
3/10/1987 SEA HOU A W Tom Chambers 42 Dale Ellis 35 38.3
12/29/1989 DAL POR H L Derek Harper 42 Rolando Blackman 35 38.3
6/1/1993 PHO SEA H W Charles Barkley 43 Dan Majerle 34 38.2
4/7/2007 NYK MIL A W Eddy Curry 43 Nate Robinson 34 38.2
4/19/1990 HOU DEN H L Hakeem Olajuwon 52 Sleepy Floyd 28 38.2
11/22/1995 CHH BOS H L Larry Johnson 44 Glen Rice 33 38.1
2/7/2009 MIL DET H L Ramon Sessions 44 Charlie Villanueva 33 38.1
2/11/1986 DET NJN A L Isiah Thomas 39 Kelly Tripucka 37 38.0
1/21/2005 SAS PHO A W Manu Ginobili 48 Tim Duncan 30 37.9
3/28/2003 LAL WAS H W Kobe Bryant 55 Shaquille O'Neal 26 37.8
5/10/1987 BOS MIL A W Larry Bird 42 Kevin McHale 34 37.8
1/26/1988 SEA SAC A W Dale Ellis 42 Xavier McDaniel 34 37.8
12/27/1990 CHI GSW H W Michael Jordan 42 Scottie Pippen 34 37.8
4/14/2010 GSW POR A W Stephen Curry 42 Monta Ellis 34 37.8
11/28/1992 IND CHH A W Reggie Miller 57 Detlef Schrempf 25 37.7
1/10/2006 DEN PHO H W Carmelo Anthony 43 Earl Boykins 33 37.7
3/3/2006 PHI WAS H W Allen Iverson 47 Chris Webber 30 37.5
1/16/2004 ORL BOS H W Tracy McGrady 44 Drew Gooden 32 37.5
5/3/2006 WAS CLE A L Gilbert Arenas 44 Antawn Jamison 32 37.5
12/1/2010 OKC NJN A W Russell Westbrook 38 Jeff Green 37 37.5
3/14/2009 MIA UTA H W Dwyane Wade 50 Jermaine O'Neal 28 37.4
1/18/1991 GSW PHI A W Tim Hardaway 40 Mitch Richmond 35 37.4
4/23/1992 CLE NJN H W Brad Daugherty 40 Mark Price 35 37.4
2/4/2005 SAC NYK H W Mike Bibby 40 Brad Miller 35 37.4
1/28/2011 OKC WAS H W Kevin Durant 40 Russell Westbrook 35 37.4
5/9/2011 OKC MEM A W Russell Westbrook 40 Kevin Durant 35 37.4
2/23/1991 DEN GSW H W Michael Adams 41 Orlando Woolridge 34 37.3
4/17/1993 ATL CHH H L Dominique Wilkins 41 Kevin Willis 34 37.3
12/19/2008 NJN DAL H W Devin Harris 41 Vince Carter 34 37.3
1/23/2009 LAC OKC H W Eric Gordon 41 Al Thornton 34 37.3
2/20/2009 PHO OKC H W Leandro Barbosa 41 Jason Richardson 34 37.3
12/10/1994 SEA LAC A W Shawn Kemp 42 Gary Payton 33 37.2
12/7/2006 PHO NJN A W Steve Nash 42 Shawn Marion 33 37.2
3/16/1990 BOS ORL A W Larry Bird 46 Kevin McHale 30 37.1
1/13/1990 ORL GSW A L Terry Catledge 49 Reggie Theus 28 37.0
12/21/1991 CHI ATL H W Michael Jordan 37 Scottie Pippen 37 37.0
12/18/1995 CHI BOS A W Michael Jordan 37 Scottie Pippen 37 37.0
11/20/1996 CHI PHO A W Michael Jordan 37 Scottie Pippen 37 37.0
2/16/1987 WSB PHO A W Jeff Malone 38 Moses Malone 36 37.0
11/10/1989 MIN PHI H W Tony Campbell 38 Tyrone Corbin 36 37.0
12/25/1993 PHO HOU H W Charles Barkley 38 Kevin Johnson 36 37.0
12/30/1994 ORL LAC H W Shaquille O'Neal 38 Anfernee Hardaway 36 37.0
1/31/2003 LAL SAC A W Kobe Bryant 38 Shaquille O'Neal 36 37.0
3/31/2006 TOR PHO H L Morris Peterson 38 Mike James 36 37.0
5/4/1988 UTA POR H W Thurl Bailey 39 Karl Malone 35 36.9
12/9/2002 MIL CLE A W Sam Cassell 39 Michael Redd 35 36.9
2/14/1986 BOS POR A W Larry Bird 47 Dennis Johnson 29 36.9
5/26/1990 CHI DET H W Michael Jordan 47 Scottie Pippen 29 36.9
4/4/1996 CHI MIA H W Michael Jordan 40 Toni Kukoc 34 36.9
12/20/2004 HOU TOR H W Yao Ming 40 Tracy McGrady 34 36.9
2/24/1986 DET CHI H W Kelly Tripucka 41 Isiah Thomas 33 36.8
11/15/1986 DET BOS H L Adrian Dantley 41 Isiah Thomas 33 36.8
4/13/1991 UTA DEN H W Karl Malone 41 Jeff Malone 33 36.8
1/13/1997 NJN ORL H L Kendall Gill 41 Robert Pack 33 36.8
12/27/2006 NYK DET H W Stephon Marbury 41 Eddy Curry 33 36.8
11/20/1992 CHI LAL A L Michael Jordan 54 Scottie Pippen 25 36.7
1/12/2007 SEA UTA H W Ray Allen 54 Nick Collison 25 36.7
2/18/1990 PHO GSW A W Tom Chambers 56 Jeff Hornacek 24 36.7
5/4/1994 PHO GSW A W Charles Barkley 56 Dan Majerle 24 36.7
3/20/2005 CLE TOR A L LeBron James 56 Drew Gooden 24 36.7
3/3/1986 DAL PHO A W Mark Aguirre 42 Rolando Blackman 32 36.7
2/28/1989 PHO POR A L Tom Chambers 42 Kevin Johnson 32 36.7
11/8/1995 ORL NJN H W Anfernee Hardaway 42 Dennis Scott 32 36.7
3/6/2000 LAL LAC A W Shaquille O'Neal 61 Kobe Bryant 22 36.6
2/8/1999 DET WAS H W Grant Hill 46 Jerry Stackhouse 29 36.5
2/20/2013 HOU OKC H W James Harden 46 Jeremy Lin 29 36.5
11/7/1990 SAS DEN H W David Robinson 43 Terry Cummings 31 36.5
1/18/2001 GSW HOU H L Antawn Jamison 43 Bob Sura 31 36.5
4/3/2009 NOH GSW A L Chris Paul 43 David West 31 36.5
5/14/1987 SEA HOU H W Tom Chambers 37 Dale Ellis 36 36.5
1/1/1988 POR PHI H W Clyde Drexler 37 Jerome Kersey 36 36.5
4/9/1990 PHO UTA H W Kevin Johnson 37 Tom Chambers 36 36.5
11/19/2005 CLE PHI A W Larry Hughes 37 LeBron James 36 36.5
12/20/2007 DEN HOU H W Carmelo Anthony 37 Allen Iverson 36 36.5
11/29/2008 NYK GSW H W David Lee 37 Al Harrington 36 36.5
1/20/2013 OKC DEN A L Kevin Durant 37 Russell Westbrook 36 36.5
1/16/1987 BOS CLE H W Kevin McHale 38 Larry Bird 35 36.5
12/6/1988 DEN NYK A L Alex English 38 Michael Adams 35 36.5
4/26/1990 PHI CLE H W Charles Barkley 38 Hersey Hawkins 35 36.5
5/15/1990 POR SAS H W Terry Porter 38 Clyde Drexler 35 36.5
5/3/2005 SAC SEA A L Peja Stojakovic 38 Mike Bibby 35 36.5
12/5/2007 DEN LAL H L Allen Iverson 51 Carmelo Anthony 26 36.4
3/11/1987 DEN UTA H W Darrell Walker 39 Alex English 34 36.4
3/17/1989 PHO POR H W Kevin Johnson 39 Tom Chambers 34 36.4
4/16/2007 HOU PHO H W Tracy McGrady 39 Yao Ming 34 36.4
4/15/1988 CLE BOS H W Brad Daugherty 44 Ron Harper 30 36.3
3/9/1994 DET NJN H W Joe Dumars 44 Terry Mills 30 36.3
4/15/2000 DEN LAC A W Nick Van Exel 44 Antonio McDyess 30 36.3
3/23/1987 SEA NYK A W Xavier McDaniel 40 Tom Chambers 33 36.3
1/20/2003 BOS PHI A W Paul Pierce 40 Antoine Walker 33 36.3
11/7/1987 BOS WSB A W Larry Bird 47 Danny Ainge 28 36.3
4/5/2008 DEN SAC H L Carmelo Anthony 47 Linas Kleiza 28 36.3
11/30/2008 NJN PHO A W Devin Harris 47 Vince Carter 28 36.3
4/7/1991 CHI PHI H L Michael Jordan 41 Scottie Pippen 32 36.2
5/8/1996 ORL ATL H W Shaquille O'Neal 41 Anfernee Hardaway 32 36.2
3/14/2007 PHO DAL A W Amare Stoudemire 41 Steve Nash 32 36.2
4/5/1991 HOU DEN A W Vernon Maxwell 45 Kenny Smith 29 36.1
3/17/1995 MIA LAC A W Glen Rice 45 Billy Owens 29 36.1
12/8/1992 ATL CHI H W Dominique Wilkins 42 Kevin Willis 31 36.1
4/8/2005 LAL SEA A W Kobe Bryant 42 Caron Butler 31 36.1
3/4/2007 CHI MIL A W Ben Gordon 48 Luol Deng 27 36.0
2/3/2003 PHO CHI H W Stephon Marbury 36 Shawn Marion 36 36.0
4/13/2003 LAL POR A L Kobe Bryant 36 Shaquille O'Neal 36 36.0
3/31/1991 CHI BOS A L Michael Jordan 37 Scottie Pippen 35 36.0
4/22/2003 MIN LAL H W Troy Hudson 37 Kevin Garnett 35 36.0
11/6/2003 LAL SAS A W Kobe Bryant 37 Shaquille O'Neal 35 36.0
1/21/2005 PHO SAS H L Shawn Marion 37 Amare Stoudemire 35 36.0
2/27/2006 WAS MEM A L Gilbert Arenas 37 Antawn Jamison 35 36.0
4/6/2008 SEA DEN H W Kevin Durant 37 Jeff Green 35 36.0
11/21/1986 WSB HOU H W Jeff Malone 38 Moses Malone 34 35.9
2/5/1987 NYK NJN H W Patrick Ewing 38 Gerald Wilkins 34 35.9
1/12/1991 CLE DEN A L Brad Daugherty 38 Larry Nance 34 35.9
5/8/1985 BOS DET H W Larry Bird 43 Dennis Johnson 30 35.9
1/22/1986 DEN NJN H W Alex English 43 Calvin Natt 30 35.9
12/13/1986 NYK ATL H L Patrick Ewing 43 Gerald Wilkins 30 35.9
4/5/2005 WAS BOS H L Gilbert Arenas 43 Antawn Jamison 30 35.9
1/12/2007 DAL IND A W Dirk Nowitzki 43 Jason Terry 30 35.9
12/13/2008 DAL OKC H W Dirk Nowitzki 46 Jason Terry 28 35.9
4/14/1988 UTA POR H L Karl Malone 39 Thurl Bailey 33 35.9
2/26/1991 CHI BOS H W Michael Jordan 39 Scottie Pippen 33 35.9
1/12/1996 DAL PHO A W Tony Dumas 39 Jason Kidd 33 35.9
3/15/1997 DEN SAS H W LaPhonso Ellis 39 Antonio McDyess 33 35.9
11/27/2001 DAL GSW H W Michael Finley 39 Dirk Nowitzki 33 35.9
3/19/2008 NJN ATL H W Vince Carter 39 Richard Jefferson 33 35.9
1/20/2010 GSW DEN H L Monta Ellis 39 Corey Maggette 33 35.9
3/30/2011 NYK NJN H W Carmelo Anthony 39 Chauncey Billups 33 35.9
1/31/1991 GSW LAC H W Mitch Richmond 40 Chris Mullin 32 35.8
1/6/2009 NOH LAL A W David West 40 Chris Paul 32 35.8
3/27/1990 PHO MIL A L Kevin Johnson 44 Eddie Johnson 29 35.7
3/22/2001 BOS NJN A W Paul Pierce 44 Antoine Walker 29 35.7
5/6/2001 LAL SAC H W Shaquille O'Neal 44 Kobe Bryant 29 35.7
1/17/2003 HOU LAL H W Steve Francis 44 Cuttino Mobley 29 35.7
11/4/2006 WAS BOS H W Gilbert Arenas 44 Antawn Jamison 29 35.7
3/17/2007 DEN PHO H W Allen Iverson 44 Carmelo Anthony 29 35.7
12/6/2000 LAL GSW A L Kobe Bryant 51 Shaquille O'Neal 25 35.7
3/23/2012 MIN OKC A L Kevin Love 51 Jose Barea 25 35.7
1/27/1988 BOS WSB H W Larry Bird 49 Robert Parish 26 35.7
1/21/1989 CHI PHO H L Michael Jordan 53 Scottie Pippen 24 35.7
4/14/2000 LAL SAC H W Shaquille O'Neal 41 Kobe Bryant 31 35.7
5/31/2002 LAL SAC H W Shaquille O'Neal 41 Kobe Bryant 31 35.7
4/17/2011 OKC DEN H W Kevin Durant 41 Russell Westbrook 31 35.7
1/3/1987 CHI DET H W Michael Jordan 47 Brad Sellers 27 35.6
2/20/2009 CLE MIL A W LeBron James 55 Mo Williams 23 35.6
12/20/1987 PHO SAC A W Larry Nance 45 James Edwards 28 35.5
11/12/1988 PHO LAC A L Eddie Johnson 45 Tom Chambers 28 35.5
1/31/1991 DEN NJN H W Michael Adams 45 Reggie Williams 28 35.5
12/9/1995 CHI MIL A W Michael Jordan 45 Scottie Pippen 28 35.5
5/19/2001 LAL SAS A W Kobe Bryant 45 Shaquille O'Neal 28 35.5

Related posts:

  1. PI+ Stat of the Day: Most Effective Lineups in a Game
  2. PI+ Stat of the Day: Kings of the Midrange
  3. PFR: Hof Candidate – Steve Atwater
  4. NBA Referee Pages on BBR
  5. B-R: HoF Candidate – Brian Jordan

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 5th, 2013 at 10:43 am and is filed under Announcement, Basketball-Reference.com, FAQ, Leaders, Trivia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

5 Responses to “Best NBA Scoring Duos in One Game (Mailbag)”

  1. Tuesday Black Bazas - Sports Mania Says: March 5th, 2013 at 3:59 pm

    [...] I enjoyed digging through these lists for pairs of Knicks and [...]

  2. Bruce gilbert Says: March 6th, 2013 at 11:12 pm

    I know your list only goes back to 1985, but in the mid sixties, if memory serves, there was a game where Jerry west and Elgin Baylor each scored 43 points, and the los angeles times' headline the next day was west and Baylor "86" the (losing team). Sorry, but I don't remember who they beat.

  3. Janar Filippov Says: March 7th, 2013 at 4:31 am

    http://www.quora.com/NBA/What-pair-of-NBA-teammates-have-the-highest-combined-single-game-score-where-each-player-scored-at-least-30-points

    Denver Nuggets vs. Detroit Pistons, December 13, 1983 (3 OT) (Kiki Vandeweghe 51, Alex English 47) (highest scoring game in NBA history) - 98 points

    San Antonio Spurs vs. Milwaukee Bucks, March 6, 1982 (3 OT) (George Gervin 50, Mike Mitchell 45) (Brian Winters also scored 42 points for Milwaukee in the same game) - 95 points

    Detroit Pistons at Denver Nuggets, December 13, 1983 (3 OT) (Isiah Thomas 47, John Long 41) (highest scoring game in NBA history) - 88 points

    Los Angeles Lakers at San Francisco Warriors, February 11, 1970 (Elgin Baylor 43, Jerry West 43) - 86 points

    New Orleans Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets, April 10, 1977 (Pete Maravich 45, Nate Williams 41) (David Thompson also scored 40 points for Denver in the same game) - 86 points

    New Orleans Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets, April 10, 1977 (Pete Maravich 45, Nate Williams 41) (David Thompson also scored 40 points for Denver in the same game) - 86 points

    Utah Jazz vs. Detroit Pistons, March 19, 1984 (Adrian Dantley 43, John Drew 42) - 85 points

    Phoenix Suns at Boston Celtics, January 5, 1978 (Paul Westphal 43, Walter Davis 40) - 83 points

    Baltimore Bullets vs. Los Angeles Lakers, November 14, 1964 (Gus Johnson 41, Walt Bellamy 40) - 81 points

    Playoffs
    Los Angeles Lakers at Detroit Pistons, March 29, 1962 (Elgin Baylor 45, Jerry West 41) - 86 points

    Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks, April 30, 1988 (Eric "Sleepy" Floyd 42, Hakeem Olajuwon 41) - 83 points

  4. Vinnie Says: March 9th, 2013 at 1:47 am

    Forgetting Chamberlin and Attles, 117, Arizin, 116, Meschery, 116, all in the same game?
    While it's great to have the stats you do have, they're so misleading when many records that took place prior have been left out so as to make it almost meaningless.
    The Sporting News use to put out annual NBA guides that had the single game stats for most points, assists and rebounds by game by year as well as most shots, fga, fgs, fta and ftm. It would be nice if someone added those missing years if at all possible.

  5. Jason J Says: March 14th, 2013 at 2:14 am

    Surprised to see so few sightings of Run TMC on this list. Also expected more Bron & Wade.

    Jordan & Pippen and Shaq & Kobe are well represented.

    Interesting that Bird is on the list with DJ, Ainge, McHale, and Parrish, all the other starters from their last contending teams.