Karl-Anthony Towns broke out against the Hornets, finishing the first half with 44 points on 14-17 shooting, including 8-9 on three-pointers.
On the anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game, and 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 a long historical line of icons getting buckets to catch on fire and forcing opposing coaches to simply shake their heads and shrug their shoulders. There is simply nothing a group of defenders can do except hope that the next shot doesn’t go through the back of the net.
Well, sometimes those good streaks go on and on until the bell rings. Scoring streaks of that nature are usually reserved for Hall of Famers like Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant, but occasionally a lesser-known talent can put his name in the record books alongside the all-time greats. (Hi, Brandon Jennings!)
Which players have the highest scoring halves in NBA history? Let’s go through the list.
Most points in a half in NBA history
Chamberlain is alone at the top with his 59-point half, which was part of his record-breaking 100-point game (more on that below). Bryant is no slouch, as he scored 55 points in the second half of a 2006 game, finishing with 81 points total.
Most notably, David Thompson and George Gervin scored 53 points in the half on the same day in 1978. Gervin ended up scoring 63 points to win the The closest scoring title race in NBA history.
| Player | Points | Date | Half |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 59 | March 2, 1962 | Second |
| Kobe Bryant | 55 | January 22, 2006 | Second |
| David Thompson | 53 | April 9, 1978 | First |
| George Gervin | 53 | April 9, 1978 | First |
| David Booker | 51 | March 24, 2017 | Second |
| David Robinson | 47 | April 24, 1994 | Second |
| Wilt Chamberlain | Four. Five | November 16, 1962 | First |
| Rick Barry | Four. Five | March 26, 1974 | Second |
| Brandon Jennings | Four. Five | November 14, 2009 | Second |
(Via Elias Sports Bureau)
Wilt Chamberlain’s huge half helps him reach 100 points
“The Big Dipper” scored 100 points in 48 minutes of work on March 2, 1962, when 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 December 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 that Chamberlain shot 51.1 percent from the line during his career, so making nearly 90 percent of his free throws in a game is something of an anomaly. He misses just one extra free throw and is stuck at 99. (Not impressive!)
In addition to all the baskets, Chamberlain also grabbed 25 rebounds and found time to dish out two assists. The NBA didn’t record blocks until the 1973-74 season, so it’s likely he had a few of those, too. Heck, Chamberlain could have had 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, 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). TRUE). Chamberlain attempted nearly 40 field goals and took 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 that we won’t see any NBA player eclipse those season numbers, or his famous 100-point total, anytime soon.
