Karl-Anthony Towns erupted against the Hornets, finishing the first half with 44 points on 14-17 shooting including 8-9 from 3.
On the anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game — and on the same night Joel Embiid set a 76ers record with 70 against the Spurs — Towns racked up the 10th-most points in any half in NBA history.
Of course, Towns follows in a long, storied list of bucket-getting icons to catch fire and force opposing coaches to simply shake their heads and shrug. There is simply nothing a group of defenders can do except hope the next shot doesn’t find its way through the bottom of the net.
Well, sometimes those hot streaks just keep going and going until the buzzer sounds. Scoring runs of that nature are typically reserved for Hall of Famers such as Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant, but occasionally a lesser-known talent can throw his name into the records books alongside the all-time greats. (Hello, Brandon Jennings!)
Which players own the highest-scoring halves in NBA history? Let’s run down the list.
Most points in a half in NBA history
Chamberlain stands alone at the top with his 59-point half, which was a part of his record-setting 100-point game (more on that below). Bryant isn’t far behind him, as he scored 55 points in the second half of a 2006 game, finishing with 81 points overall.
David Thompson and George Gervin notably both scored 53 points in a half on the same day in 1978. Gervin ended up totaling 63 points to win the tightest scoring title race in NBA history.
Player Points Date Half Wilt Chamberlain 59 March 2, 1962 Second Kobe Bryant 55 Jan. 22, 2006 Second David Thompson 53 April 9, 1978 First George Gervin 53 April 9, 1978 First Devin Booker 51 March 24, 2017 Second David Robinson 47 April 24, 1994 Second Wilt Chamberlain 45 Nov. 16, 1962 First Rick Barry 45 March 26, 1974 Second Brandon Jennings 45 Nov. 14, 2009 Second
(Via the Elias Sports Bureau)
Wilt Chamberlain’s huge half helps him reach 100 points
“The Big Dipper” dropped 100 points in 48 minutes of work on March 2, 1962, as the Philadelphia Warriors defeated the New York Knicks by a final score of 169-147. In leading the Warriors to victory, Chamberlain broke his own single-game scoring record of 78 points set on Dec. 8, 1961, against the Los Angeles Lakers, a game that included multiple overtime periods.
Chamberlain finished with 100 points on 36-of-63 shooting from the field (57.1 percent) and 28-of-32 shooting from the free throw line (87.5 percent). Keep in mind Chamberlain shot 51.1 percent from the line for his career, so hitting nearly 90 percent of his free throws in one game is some kind of anomaly. Miss only one extra free throw, and he’s stuck on 99. (Not impressive at all!)
Along with all of the buckets, Chamberlain also grabbed 25 rebounds and found time to dish out two assists. The NBA did not record blocks until the 1973-74 season, so it’s likely he also had a few of those. Heck, Chamberlain might have posted a 100-point triple-double.
The only thing more absurd than Chamberlain’s 100-point game was his stat line for the entire 1961-62 season. Seriously, just take a moment and think about this: 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds per game on 50.6 percent shooting from the field and 61.3 percent from the line (a career-high, by the way). Chamberlain attempted nearly 40 field goals and shot 17 free throws per game.
But that’s not the best part. Chamberlain averaged 48.5 minutes per game. If you’re scratching your head now, yes, NBA games are only 48 minutes long. However, the Warriors also played 10 overtime periods that season, and Chamberlain logged 3,882 of a possible 3,890 minutes.
It’s safe to say we won’t see any NBA players eclipsing those season numbers — or his famous 100-point total — anytime soon.
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