7 Most Unlikely 50 Point NBA Performances Since 1990
Ever since Allen Iverson scored 50 points as a rookie (sandwiched between a bunch of 40-point games), I’ve been intrigued by the feat. I remember when T-Mac went off for 62, when Agent Zero plopped 60, and when Kobe Bryant lit up the Garden for 61. I’m not alone, that’s for sure, but there’s a bunch of 50-point performances that are forgotten about. The reason? Well, it’s because they weren’t great scorers or players, they just had a great night.
Below, I’ve put together a list of the seven most unlikely 50-point performances since 1990, all from players who never made an NBA All-Star Game, never averaged more than 20 points per game, and have career scoring averages below 13 points per game.
7 Most Unlikely 50 Point Performances (since 1990)
Andre Miller, Portland — 52 points, 1/30/10
Career: 12.5 PPG
My all-time favorite 50-point performance because it came directly after Miller scored two points in the game prior, and because he only hit one three-ball en route to his 52 points. Miller, in my opinion, had the best career of all seven guys on this list.
Tony Delk, Phoenix — 53 points, 1/2/01
Career: 9.1 PPG
Delk carved out a nice career for himself but he was a role player throughout. This performance here was his highlight by far. According to the ESPN box score, Delk was 20-for-27 from the field in an overtime loss with ZERO made threes.
Corey Brewer, Minnesota — 51 points, 4/11/14
Career: 8.9 PPG
The most recent of the bunch, coming in 2014, which set tied the single-game record in Minnesota. The next year, another unlikely guy, Mo Williams, broke the record with 52 points. Since Williams was once an All-Star, I figured he didn’t deserve to be on the list.
Brewer just signed a 10-day contract with the 76ers and immediately made their starting lineup.
Willie Burton, Philadelphia — 53 points, 12/13/94
Career: 10.3 PPG
This performance came during Burton’s best year in 1994–95 but it was really the final high point of a disappointing career. That said, it’s easy to see why: Burton’s 53-point outburst came against the team that drafted him №9 in the 1990 NBA Draft, the Miami Heat. Video can be found here via NBA.com.
Tracy Murray, Washington — 50 points, 2/10/98
Career: 9 PPG
A little DMV touch here; Tracy Murray went off for 50 points against Golden State in Washington’s first season as the Wizards.
Vernon Maxwell, Houston — 51 points, 1/26/91
Career: 12.8 PPG
The definition of a journeyman, Maxwell scored 30 points in the fourth quarter alone on his way to 51 points in 1991. Nineteen of his 51 came from the charity stripe. The oldest of the seven performances listed here.
Terrence Ross, Toronto — 51 points, 1/25/14
Career: 10 PPG
If you can play ball, you know what it’s like to be “in the zone.” Ross, during his 51-point breakout, was firmly “in the zone” with 10 made threes (on only 17 attempts) and nine made free throws (on 10 attempts). Though he’s still playing in the NBA and putting up decent numbers (13.9 PPG this year), this game came out of nowhere. In the three games before he went off, he racked up just 14 points combined.