NBA: Full List Of Teams With Most Points In A Half

The Phoenix Suns‘ game-high 107 points against the Denver Nuggets on November 10, 1990, set a record for the most points ever scored by a team in an NBA half. The Suns scored 173 points in total, compared to the Nuggets’ 143.

The Suns had five players with 20 or more points, including Cedric Ceballos, who came off the bench to score 32 points. The fact that Cedric’s 32, as previously indicated, was the highest mark attained by a player in Phoenix just serves to increase the amazement at this accomplishment. The Denver Nuggets lost by 30 points despite Orlando Woolridge’s 40 points.

In a time when 3-pointers were made at a very low rate, the Suns converted just two attempts into 0 made threes.They drained 67 shots from within the arc on 104 attempts to reach their 173 mark.

For the record, the Detroit Pistons scored 186 points against the Denver Nuggets on December 3, 1983, which is ironic given that 173 points isn’t the most total a team has ever scored in a game.

Most points in a half in NBA history

First half

Rank Team Points Date Opponent
1 Suns 107 Nov. 10, 1990 Nuggets
2 Warriors 92 Oct. 29, 2018 Bulls
3 Nets 91 Dec. 21, 2022 Warriors
4 Nuggets 90 Nov. 7, 1990 Spurs
Rockets 90 Nov. 16, 2017 Suns
6 Royals 89 March 12, 1970 Rockets
Lakers 89 Jan. 2, 1987 Suns
Warriors 89 Oct. 23, 2022 Kings
9 Warriors 88 Nov. 2, 1991 Kings
Bucks 88 Jan. 28, 2020 Wizards

Second half

The record for the highest-scoring second half in NBA history belongs to the Hawks, who scored 97 points in the third and fourth quarters to cruise to a 24-point win over the Rockets.

Rank Team Points Date Opponent
1 Hawks 97 Feb. 11, 1970 Rockets
2 76ers 95 Dec. 20, 1967 SuperSonics
3 Rockets 94 Jan. 10, 1991 Nuggets
4 Celtics 91 Nov. 11, 1959 Royals
Celtics 91 Feb. 10, 1960 Pistons
Nationals 91 Jan. 13, 1963 Pistons
Lakers 91 Nov. 23, 1966 Bulls
Lakers 91 March 19, 1972 Warriors
Spurs 91 Jan. 11, 1984 Nuggets
10 Celtics 90 Feb. 27, 1959 Lakers
Warriors 90 March 2, 1962 Knicks
Celtics 90 Feb. 25, 1970 Rockets
76ers 90 March 19, 1971 Royals

The second half (including OT)

In the highest-scoring game in NBA history, the Pistons scored 112 points in the second half, which included three overtime periods. Detroit earned a 186-184 win, meaning its opponent, Denver, falls third on the list.

Rank Team Points No. of OTs Date Opponent
1 Pistons 112 3 Dec. 13, 1983 Nuggets
2 Bulls 111 4 March 1, 2019 Hawks
3 Nuggets 110 3 Dec. 13, 1983 Pistons
4 Mavericks 109 2 April 11, 1995 Rockets
5 Lakers 106 4 Jan. 29, 1980 Cavaliers
Spurs 106 3 March 6, 1982 Bucks
7 Bucks 105 5 Nov. 9, 1989 SuperSonics
8 Bulls 102 4 March 16, 1984 Trail Blazers
9 SuperSonics 101 5 Nov. 9, 1989 Bucks
Hawks 101 4 March 1, 2019 Bulls

 

 

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