January 11, 2024 is a date that will be remembered as the night of the beatings in the NBA.
When a nationally televised game between the Bucks and Celtics quickly spiraled out of control, NBA fans’ attention focused on the fact that there was no competitive alternative to turn to. With the Bucks leading by 38 points in the third quarter, TNT tried the strange move to interrupt the game to take a live look elsewhere, but in Oklahoma City, the Thunder had a 36-point halftime lead over the Trail Blazers.
A few hundred miles south of OKC, the Mavericks led the Knicks by 19 points in the second quarter.
And while Milwaukee led by as many as 43 points in a 33-point wire-to-wire victory over Boston, the Bucks’ rout ended up being the second-most dominant showing thanks to the Thunder, who, despite not leading wire-to-wire , earned a 139-77 victory over the Blazers. That’s not a typo: OKC defeated another NBA opponent by 62 points on Thursday night.
As dominant as OKC’s performance was, it’s not the biggest blowout in league history. This is where the 62-point rout lands on the list of all-time dominant performances.
Largest margins of victory in the NBA
The largest margin of victory in NBA history is 73 points. On December 2, 2021, the Grizzlies defeated the Thunder 152-79.
After Thursday’s rout of Portland, Oklahoma City is on the wrong side of the worst blowout in league history and on the right side of the fifth-worst blowout in league history.
Here’s a complete list of the worst blowouts in league history, with two of the five worst coming in the last three seasons.
| Range | Margin | Game result | Date |
| 1. | 73 | Grizzlies 152, Thunder 79 | December 2, 2021 |
| 2. | 68 | Knights 148, Series 80 | December 17, 1991 |
| 3. | Sixty-five | Pacers 124, Trail Blazers 59 | February 27, 1998 |
| 4. | 63 | Lakers 162, Warriors 99 | March 19, 1972 |
| 5. | 62 | Thunder 139, Trail Blazers 77 | January 11, 2024 |
| 62 | Warriors 153, Kings 91 | November 2, 1991 | |
| 62 | Nationals 162, Knicks 100 | December 25, 1960 | |
| 8. | 61 | Hornets 140, Grizzlies 79 | March 22, 2018 |
| 9. | 59 | Dollars 143, Pistons 84 | December 26, 1978 |
| 59 | Warriors 150, Pacers 91 | March 19, 1977 |
Unfortunately for Portland, Thursday’s loss wasn’t the worst in franchise history. The Trail Blazers are the only NBA franchise that has lost more than one game by more than 60 points. During the 1997-98 season, a Trail Blazers team of Arvydas Sabonis, Damon Stoudamire and Rasheed Wallace suffered a 65-point loss at the hands of the Pacers.
Interestingly, the 1997-98 Trail Blazers advanced to the postseason with a 46-36 record. A year later, the team advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
With the loss to Oklahoma City, the 2023-24 Trail Blazers fell to 10-27 on the season. The playoffs may be out of reach this year, but the future is bright for Portland’s young roster.