The Highest Points Scored Against the Sacramento Kings in NBA History

For over one hundred years, the Sacramento Kings franchise has spanned four cities and three leagues, from the Rochester Seagrams in 1923 through Sacramento's current era. From Rochester to Cincinnati to Kansas City-Omaha and finally Sacramento in 1985, the franchise has been on the receiving end of some of the most impressive individual scoring performances in professional basketball history.

1. Wilt Chamberlain - 65 Points

During his historic 1961-62 season, when he averaged 50.4 points per game, Wilt Chamberlain hammered the Cincinnati Royals for 65 points on February 13, 1962. Chamberlain’s performance against the Royals came during a stretch where he scored 60-plus points fifteen times in a single season, an NBA record that will likely never be broken. Shooting 24-for-40 from the field and 17-for-30 from the line, the Royals did not have any answers for the Warriors' big man, who also added a game-high 22 rebounds. Unfortunately, on this night, Chamberlain’s Philadelphia Warriors teammates provided little in the way of help as the Royals won 152-132.  

Note: Chamberlain holds eight of the top ten spots against the Kings franchise, including multiple 60+ point games.

2. George Mikan - 62 Points

Long before Wilt Chamberlain changed the way seven-footers played basketball, George Mikan was the NBA's first dominant big man, and his 61-point explosion against the Rochester Royals on January 20, 1952, proved it. "Mr. Basketball" shot 22-of-45 from the field and added 17-of-21 free throws while grabbing 36 rebounds in the Minneapolis Lakers' 91-81 double-overtime victory. At the time, Mikan's 61 points ranked as the second-highest total in NBA history, trailing only Joe Fulks' 63-point performance from 1949. Mikan’s scoring outburst came during a season when the NBA widened the foul lane from six to twelve feet, creating the "Mikan Rule" which limited the league’s first true big man’s effectiveness near the basket. 

3. Rick Barry - 57 Points

Rick Barry was in just his second NBA season when he dropped 57 points on the Cincinnati Royals on October 29, 1966. The San Francisco Warriors forward’s game-high came off 21-for-44 field goals and 15-for-17 free throws, which he shot with his legendary underhanded style. Teaming up with big man Nate Thurmond, who chipped in with 16 points and 19 rebounds, the Warriors front court duo outplayed Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas, the Royals' star guard and forward, en route to a 127-115 early-season road victory. 

4. Chet Walker - 56 Points 

Chet Walker was a man on a mission on February 6, 1972, scoring a career-high 56 points in the Chicago Bulls' 119-94 rout of the Cincinnati Royals. Walker shot 22-of-30 from the field and added 12-of-13 free throws, adding 4 rebounds and 2 assists to his stat line. A 6’7” forward, Walker's 56 points marked a  Bulls franchise record until Michael Jordan dropped 63 in 1986. Leading by just four points at the break, the Bulls and Walker used a dominant fourth quarter to break open what would be a lopsided final score. 

5. Cliff Hagan - 55 Points

Cliff Hagan’s career high 55 points came against the Cincinnati Royals on February 12, 1962, as the St. Louis Hawks captured a convincing 129-109 victory at Kiel Auditorium. A 6’4” forward with a very effective hook shot, Hagan shot 19-for-39 from the field and added a perfect 17-for-17 from the line while also adding 14 rebounds in 48 minutes. In his fifth straight All-Star season, Hagan and the Hawks struggled, finishing 29-51 after reaching the NBA Finals the season prior when they went 51-28.