Jimmy Butler's performance in Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference First Round against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday was one for the record books. He racked up 56 points, a tie for the fourth-most ever scored by a player in an NBA Playoff game. I guess there's a reason his nickname is Jimmy Buckets.
If you're wondering where this stacks up against the top playoff scoring efforts of all time, we're here to give you that info. Here's a rundown of the most points scored by a player in an NBA Playoff game, and who could be the next player to add their name to this prestigious list.
Where Does Butler's 56-Point Game Rank All Time?
Butler's 56 points put him in a four-way tie for the fourth-most points by an individual in an NBA playoff game. He's tied with some pretty impressive names -- Wilt Chamberlain in 1962, Michael Jordan in 1992, and Charles Barkley in 1994. If you bet on the over on Butler's point total in that game on any of the best sports betting sites, you'd have been paid out handsomely.
#3: Donovan Mitchell's Denver Milestone
Just above that fourth-place foursome, Donovan Mitchell stands alone in third place on the NBA's postseason single-game scoring list.
He posted a 57-point performance against the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 NBA Playoffs as a member of the Utah Jazz. That was quite an individual effort from Mitchell in his first game of the 2020 postseason. Despite his best efforts, the Jazz lost the game, 135-125, in Denver. Interestingly, Mitchell's six made 3-pointers equal the combined total from the other six playoff games of 56-plus points.
#2: Elgin Baylor's 61 In '62
Younger NBA fans probably think of Brittney Griner or Jeremy Sochan when they hear "Baylor" and "basketball" in the same sentence, but old school fans know all about Elgin Baylor. Born 12 years before the Baylor Bears made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1946, Baylor was drafted first overall by the Minneapolis Lakers in 1958, made 11 All-Star appearances, and was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977.
He never won an NBA Championship, but Baylor produced a postseason record that stood for 24 years with his 61-point effort in Boston on April 14, 1962. That performance powered the Los Angeles Lakers to a 3-2 series lead in the NBA Finals. However, the Celtics ultimately went on to take the next two games to deny Baylor his chance at that elusive title.
#1: The GOAT's Greatest Game
On April 20, 1986, six days after the 24th anniversary of Baylor's 61-point game, Michael Jordan set a record that is still going strong to this day. He scored 63 points in a double-overtime loss to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference First Round. The 23-year-old Jordan torched Boston's defense for the most points by an individual in a playoff game in NBA history. Despite this unbelievable effort, his Bulls wound up being swept in that series.
Chicago proceeded to get the young superstar some help, and while Jordan never crossed the 60-point threshold in a playoff game again, he did enough to guide the Bulls to six championships in eight years from 1991 to 1998.
Who Could Join The List Next?
Some of the top candidates to join this list in the coming years are Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, and Luka Doncic. Each of them often hits their points over, something you can wager on with PayPal betting sites each night of the NBA season.
Along with the aforementioned Mitchell, Booker and Lillard are the only players to score 70 points in a regular-season NBA game since Kobe Bryant had 81 in 2006. Booker is only 26 years old and should have plenty of opportunities to score in the playoffs on a perennially-contending Suns team. Lillard has a 55-point playoff game, tied for the fifth-most all time, along with five regular-season games of 60-plus points since 2019. We've seen Doncic carry a team in the playoffs and he also has a 60-point game under his belt in his career.
Any of these three could be the next to put up an all-time scoring performance in the NBA Playoffs, but I guess we will just have to wait and see if anyone ever surpasses Jordan's epic 63-point night.
