Most points ever scored in single NBA Playoff game by one player, top post-season performances of all-time

The NBA Playoffs are the next level of basketball, when the intensity goes up and the stakes are at their highest.

The match-ups in the playoffs are an opportunity for the biggest stars to shine the brightest on the biggest stage, in front of the watching NBA world.

And it is also a little harder for players to rack up huge scores, for instance, Kobe Bryant’s insane 81-point game came during the regular season, as was Wilt Chamberlain’s famous 100 points.

The bar for the high scoring individual game in the playoffs is a little lower, due to the extra intense defenses – and it may not be surprise that Michael Jordan ranks at number one.

Here is a breakdown of the top individual playoff performances of all time…

Michael Jordan announced himself to the basketball world in Game 2 of a first round playoff game against the Boston Celtics in 1986, setting a record that still stands almost a full 40 years later.

It was not enough to stop the Chicago Bulls losing 135-131 in double overtime, with the Celtics sweeping a young Jordan 4-0 in the series, on the way to winning the championship.

Speaking after the game, Larry Bird famously said: “I didn’t think anyone was capable of doing what Michael has done to us. He is the most exciting, awesome player in the game today. I think it’s just God disguised as Michael Jordan.”

The record Michael Jordan broke belonged to LA Lakers legend Elgin Baylor, the former number one overall draft pick in 1958.

Four years later he had proved why it was a smart choice, setting a NBA record at the time that even now ranks as the number two of all time in the playoffs.

Baylor’s 61 points also came against the Boston Celtics, for the Lakers, but it was not enough to stop the Eastern Conference juggernaut winning the series, and the title.

The greatest individual playoff game in recent seasons came from Donovan Mitchell for the Utah Jazz against the Denver Nuggets.

Mitchell’s 57 points came inside the NBA Bubble in 2020 – but just like Elgin Baylor and Michael Jordan’s big performances, it did not stop him ending up on the losing side, with the Denver Nuggets winning 135-125.

The Jazz went on to blow a 3-1 series lead, and this marked the beginning of the end for that team, with Mitchell leaving for the Cavaliers in 2022.

The 56 point marker has been reached four separate times in NBA Playoffs history, each by different players.

While Jordan, Baylor and Mitchell’s big scores came in losses, all four player to score 56 points did so to lead their teams to victories, sharing the honor of scoring the most points in a NBA Playoffs win.