Top 5 Highest Scoring NBA Games Of All Time

On Sunday, December 21, 2025, the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks game, which saw the two teams enter the 300-point club, marked the third time each franchise has reached this milestone, and remarkably, the second time they had done it against each other. Combining for 302 total points, the Bulls held a ten-point halftime lead before managing to edge out the Hawks 152–150. Of the eleven Chicago players to see the floor, nine scored double digits, while five Atlanta players scored more than ten points. 

While many fans question the amount of defense played in the modern era of NBA basketball, there have been 33 games that scored 300 points or more. Let’s take a brisk walk back in time to look at the top 5 highest-scoring games in NBA history.

1. Detroit Pistons 186, Denver Nuggets 184 (December 13, 1983)

This triple-overtime marathon remains untouchable with 370 combined points. The game featured both teams combining to go 2–4 from downtown, 117 total free throws, and basically zero defense. While the Nuggets’ Kiki Vandeweghe dropped 51 points in a losing effort, Detroit’s All-Star point guard Isiah Thomas finished the game with 47 points and 17 assists. 

2. Sacramento Kings 176, LA Clippers 175 (February 24, 2023)

The modern era crashed the party with 351 points of pure offensive madness. This double-overtime thriller showed that today's three-point revolution can produce scoring chaos rivaling any era, with 86 total shots taken from long range. The Kings’ guard Malik Monk (45) was just one of three players to score more than 40 points (Kawhi Leonard 44, De’Aaron Fox 42).

3. San Antonio Spurs 171, Milwaukee Bucks 166 (March 6, 1982)

Another triple-OT affair with 337 points. George Gervin scored 50 for the Spurs, putting up 31 shots, and Brian Winters provided the Bucks with 42 points off the bench, but the craziest part? Spurs small forward Mike Mitchell played all 58 minutes, finishing with 45 points and 11 rebounds. Clearly not an era of load management. 

4. Chicago Bulls 168, Atlanta Hawks 161 (March 1, 2019)

A four-overtime thriller, the Bulls were outscored by 18 points in the first and fourth quarters, but still managed to take the game to multiple overtimes. Bulls guard Zach LaVine, finishing with 47 points, fell short of a triple-double by one rebound and one assist. Trae Young led the game for the Hawks, who put up a combined 60 three-pointers, with 49 points. 

5. Golden State Warriors 162, Denver Nuggets 158 (November 2, 1990)

Before the Splash Brothers, RUN TMC ran the court for the Warriors.  On opening night of the 1990-91 season, Chris Mullin led the way for Golden State with 38 points, Tim Hardaway chipped in with 32 points, while Mitch Richmond was the only one of the trio to not hit the 30-point mark, falling short at 29 points. The Nuggets, led by Orlando Woolridge’s 37 points, had no problem filling the basket, leading the league that season with 119.9 points, but struggled to stop opponents, giving up a league-worst 130.8 points.