Record for most individual and team points in an NBA Playoff game

Across all sports, the postseason brings an elevated level of intensity. At this point in the season, there is nothing left to hold back for. There is no pitch count or rest for minor injuries when a loss can end an entire season of blood, sweat, and tears.

In the NBA, the competition stiffens as the championship gets closer with each passing round. Teams must be able to operate under pressure and play fundamentally-sound basketball.

Defense wins championships — it's perhaps the most overused phrase in sports, yet it remains a proven strategy in the NBA. Heading into the 2022-23 season, NBA teams averaged 103.3 points per game during the regular season. In the postseason, that scoring average dropped to 100.5 points per game. Since 2008, scoring has dropped by an average of 2.5 percent in the playoffs.

Despite the tighter defense, the league's greatest players have risen to the challenge when the stakes are the highest. The 2023-24 NBA Playoffs have featured historic scoring performances. Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards became the third player in NBA history to have multiple playoff games with at least 40 points, five rebounds, and five assists before age 23. New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson became the first player in NBA history to notch four consecutive games with at least 40 points and five assists.

Yet, the individual and team scoring records have stood for decades.

Most individual points in a single NBA playoff game

During Game 2 of a first-round Eastern Conference series on April 20, 1986, the mighty Boston Celtics were pushed into double overtime by the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan's performance that night convinced Celtics forward Larry Bird that he was playing against God.

"I think it’s just God disguised as Michael Jordan," Bird said.

Jordan scored a record-breaking 63 points. He connected on 22 of his 41 field-goal attempts and 19 of his 21 free throws. The two highest-scoring Celtics in that game — Bird (36 points) and Kevin McHale (27 points) — combined for 63 points that game.

Although the Celtics eventually won the game 135-131 in double overtime, it shouldn't have been close to begin with. The top-seeded Celtics, one of the greatest teams in NBA history, finished the 1985-86 regular season with a 67-15 record. Chicago, meanwhile, barely managed to sneak into the playoffs with a 30-52 record.

Jordan, who was just in his second year, missed most of the season with a broken bone in his foot. He returned in time to lead Chicago to the playoffs, where the Bulls found themselves facing the mighty Celtics. The eventual NBA champions Celtics swept Chicago in the three-game series, but Jordan didn't make it easy.

Most team points in a single NBA playoff game

Although the 1989-90 Boston Celtics weren't nearly as dominant as their 1985-86 counterparts, they still had the ability to dominate their opponent. That's exactly what they did in Game 2 of an Eastern Conference first-round series against the New York Knicks.

The Celtics scored 157 points to pull off a 157-128 victory over the Knicks. It was one of the highest-scoring games of all time, but all 12 Celtics players contributed to the scoring column for Boston's record-setting night. Kevin McHale had a dominant outing, converting 12 of his 15 shots and all seven free-throw attempts for 31 points. Larry Bird, despite a poor shooting performance, compiled 16 assists. All five Celtics starters scored double-digit points and the bench piled on an aditional 60 points.

New York eventually rallied back with three consecutive wins to pull of an upset win in the series, but Boston's scoring record from Game 2 has yet to be broken.