50 points. A mythical threshold. Scoring 50 pawns is a snap. It marks the spirits. For a James Harden or one Kobe Bryant, it is commonplace. But it remains an exceptional performance. Reserved for a very small portion of NBA players. Although… the North American Championship is the toughest in the world.
It seems that the pros who populate the different franchises are all able to make boxes but that it is ultimately a question of opportunities. That even the twelfth man on a team is capable of contributing but is simply being crossed out by other teammates for a whole lot of reasons. What if it was – almost – true?
Focus on these players who, for one evening, touched by grace, flirted with the greatest of their sport. On those unlikely, unexpected guys who can boast of having made as many 50-point NBA matches as Tim Duncan.
Tony Delk
Allen Iverson. Kobe Bryant. Ray Allen. Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Jermaine O’Neal. Stephon Marbury. And… Tony Delk. The list of players drafted in 1996 to have scored 50 or more points in an NBA game. Spot the intruder. Sixteenth choice for one of the most prestigious cuvées in history, the combo guard, which has passed eight franchises in its ten-year career, has not left a big mark on the league. He has spent most of his time as a substitute, while often proving useful as an offensive wildcard.
Then suddenly, one evening in January 2001, the explosion. Holder to compensate for the absence of an injured Penny Hardaway, Tony Delk dropped 53 points during a loss of the Phoenix Suns against the Sacramento Kings (117-121). All without any award-winning basket! 20 out of 27 on shots. 13 of 15 on free throws. And 17 assists for his backcourt partner Jason Kidd. That penetrations and shots at mid-distance. Impressive. Completely unlikely.
Corey Brewer
Double university champion in 2006 and 2007. MOP of the Final Four just before joining the NBA. Seventh pick in the draft. Corey Brewer was expected. But he quickly showed his limits. Complete, good defender, combative, the athletic winger was more the player of duty par excellence than the superstar. Players of this profile are generally transported across the country with incessant transfers. He was no exception to this rule.
But in 2013-14, Brewer was finally able to enjoy some stability. A season at Wolves – the franchise where he started before being sent to Dallas then Denver before returning to Minnesota – as a starter. And a memorable card. 51 points. Himself neither believed.
« I’m not going to lie to you… 50? Do you know how many guys have scored 50 points in the NBA? This is what makes the evening so special. I really didn’t think I would ever score 50 points in the NBA. »
And to tell the truth, his partners did not believe it either. ” I’m going to need to review the game to check if he really scored 51 points Ricky Rubio joked. The most ironic? He will be transferred to Houston, to whom he had stuck the 51 points, the following season.
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Andre Miller
The teacher. The real one, not that of the “Casa de Papel”. A leader with a very big basketball IQ, as big as his butt each season. A man who did not hide gorging himself on pizzas and desserts during the summer. In the field, he still knew how to make the difference. By making passes. Yes, passes. Andre Miller is one of the most prolific offering leader distributors in history (eleventh).
Then, in January 2010, he decided one evening to take his chance. Only 2 assists. But 52 pawns. 22 of 31 on shots and a Portland Trail Blazers win over the Dallas Mavericks in overtime. With precisely 25 points registered in the fourth quarter and in extra time.
Clutch, too.
Others
Willie Burton
Here is one that did not last long in the NBA. Ninth pick in the 1990 draft, the Detroit native played 316 games in eight seasons. Lightweight for a player selected in the top-10. In contrast, in 1995, Willie Burton made sparks. Signed by the Philadelphia Sixers where he alternates between the bench and the five major, he takes advantage of a duel with the Miami Heat, his former team, to explode the counters. 53 points in just 19 shots.
It is still a record today. Never has a player scored so many points in so few shots. With 5 three-point baskets to increase his mark but especially 24 out of 28 in free throws. Despite his feat, Burton will never win in the NBA thereafter. He even played in Italy the following season before reluctantly returning to the league without winning.
Tracy Murray
If he had been born twenty years later, Tracy Murray would have been a highly regarded player in the current NBA. A fairly one-dimensional winger but an undoubtedly popular sniper. He was shooting three-point guns before long-range fire even became fashionable. And one evening in February 1998, it paid off for him. Author of five torpedoes, the Washington Wizards player slammed 50 points during a success against the Golden State Warriors. The Strongest ? His team scored 99. So he put in more than half of the Wizards’ points.
Replacing most of his career, Murray went around afterwards. 659 matches and only 80 started in the major five.
Terrence Ross
Today, Terrence Ross is one of the best sixth men in the league. A scorer who comes home and who has carte blanche to ignite. So it’s not that surprising to see him hit the nail on the head. It was the timing that surprised. An interesting but limited rookie, the winger then playing for the Raptors snapped his 51 points in his second season in the NBA. A big boom.
Tonight in January 2014, Ross took over from his two All-Stars, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, each completely missing the mark. He took the opportunity to make a box, including 10 award-winning shots. 51 points, it was at the time a franchise record equaled, that then held by Vince Carter. A performance beaten since with the 52 points of DeRozan in 2018.
Walt Wesley
Sixth pick in the 1966 draft, Walt Wesley had one, if not two, good seasons in the NBA. He has long been an unproductive substitute pivot. Until the day when, in 1971, the Cavaliers offered him a titular position. He took his chance. 50 points passed against Cincinnati. The only feat of arms of his career.
Brandon Jennings
A case a little apart in this list. Brandon Jennings was expected as a star in the NBA. And during the first years of his career, he gave the impression that he could develop his potential. In fact, it was not long before he showed himself to his advantage.
The leader, tenth pick in the 2010 draft, scored 55 points in his seventh game in the league! A surprising performance. Except the huge Wilt Chamberlain, author of 58 points as a rookie, no rookie has done better in the history of the league.
A hell of a service, especially because of Jennings’ career. Unlike almost all of the prospects at that time, the little leader had given up on the NCAA to go and discover the professional world in Italy. A very difficult experience but which shaped him for the future. The proof with this thunderous start to his career.
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