Austin Reaves dropped a career-high 51 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 127-120 win over the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 26.
The 2025-26 NBA season is in the home stretch, as the final day for all 30 teams falls on Sunday. With just days remaining in the regular season, there’s still plenty on the line for several teams and players. An unbelievable 14 of the 20 postseason seeds are still up for grabs, and races for the Kia MVP and Kia Rookie of the Year awards are two of the most competitive chases we’ve seen in recent memory.
In what’s been another incredible, memory-filled year, it’s only right to highlight some of the best individual performances as an exciting postseason nears. Historic outings seemed to be commonplace during the league’s 79th installment, as our first entrant on this list vehemently punctuated exactly one month ago.
1. Boom goes Bam
Bam Adebayo scores a career-high 83 points, the 2nd-highest scoring game in NBA history.
During Miami’s 150-129 victory against Washington on March 10, Bam Adebayo erupted for a career-high 83 points to go along with nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 42 minutes. He finished 20-for-43 from the field, 7-for-22 from 3-point range and went an absurd 36-for-43 at the free throw line. Bam surpassed Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game for the second-most points in a single outing in NBA history, and flew past Dwight Howard’s FT record for attempts (39, twice) and the previous record of FT makes set by Wilt Chamberlain and Adrian Dantley (28). LeBron James, who held the Heat’s single-game scoring mark of 61 in 2014, had his total surpassed by Adebayo’s 62 points after three quarters.
Bam, 28, poured in 31 of his points through 12 minutes of action in the opening frame, outscoring the Wizards’ first-quarter total of 29 singlehandedly. He scored from all three levels with ease, going 10-for-16 from the field with five made 3s and a 6-for-7 mark at the charity stripe. He continued setting the tone after halftime, igniting once again for 40 points over the final two quarters (21 in the fourth), as an aggressive Adebayo sank 24 of his 29 FTA in the second half. Bam is averaging career-highs in field goal attempts (15.7), 3-point makes (1.7), attempts (5.5), and individual offensive rating (116.3) while posting 20.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals across 70 appearances.
2. Joker’s Christmas Day miracle
Nikola Jokić erupts for a 56-point triple-double on Christmas.
In one of the best games of the regular season, Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray (35 points, Christmas-record 9 3PM) outdueled Anthony Edwards (44 points) and Julius Randle (32 points) in a wild, record-setting 142-138 overtime victory for Denver. Jokić was brilliant from start to finish, but saved his best for last. The three-time league MVP tallied a monster triple-double with 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists with two blocks in 43 minutes, scoring from all over the court. He finished 15-for-21 (71.4%) from the field, 4-for-6 (66.7%) from behind the arc, and a near-perfect 22-for-23 (95.7%) from the stripe to give him a whopping 90.0 true shooting percentage.
Despite a 15-point cushion for the Nuggets around the 5:30 mark of the fourth quarter, Minnesota rallied back to take a 124-115 advantage in the closing minutes. Denver was outscored 37-23 in the frame, but an 11-2 run helped send it to OT. Jokić then set an NBA record by dropping 18 of his team’s 27 points during the extra five minutes, passing Stephen Curry’s previous record of 17 set in 2016 for the most by any player in the regular season or playoffs. Joker was 3-for-3 from the field, connecting on both of his 3-point attempts, and went 10-for-11 at the foul line to cap the Christmas Day festivities.
Nikola Jokić erupts for season-high 55 points vs. Clippers | NBA.com
As a bonus to the second slot on our list, Jokić’s 55-point, 12-rebound, six-assist performance on Nov. 12 deserves recognition as well. The Serbian sensation delivered 25 of his squad’s 39 total points in the opening period, then responded with 19 points on 7-for-7 shooting with five rebounds, four assists and a steal in the third to nearly outscore the Clippers’ 22 points as a team. Jokić ended the 130-116 victory shooting 18-for-23 overall, 5-for-6 from deep and 14-for-16 at the line to earn a 91.5 TS%. It only took him 34 minutes to amass such gaudy statistics, which is outrageous considering he had just 2:32 of court time in the fourth quarter.
3. Luka cooks for 60 in South Beach
Luka Dončić erupts for season-high 60 points in Miami
Less than ten days after Miami witnessed history on Bam’s 83-point night, Luka Dončić proved how quickly things can change in the NBA by popping off for a season-high 60 points during a 134-126 win for the Lakers on March 19. Dončić, who leads the league in scoring (33.5 ppg), continued a superb streak of games en route to breaking a Heat record for an opponent’s single-game scoring output. Across 38 minutes, the six-time All-Star collected seven rebounds, three dimes and five steals while going 18-for-30 from the field, 9-for-17 from 3-point range and 15-for-19 on free throws.
In what was a competitive game throughout, L.A. needed all 60 of Dončić’s points to secure its eighth consecutive win at the time. He poured in 39 of those over the final two quarters, dropping 19 points and four 3s in the third, and another 20 points and two 3s across eight minutes of play in the fourth. The superstar guard had ice in his veins, draining a clutch, highly-contested triple over Davion Mitchell while fading back into the sideline to seal the dub. Dončić, playing on the second leg of a back-to-back, was coming off a 40-point outburst against Houston the night before, and put up 51 versus Chicago on March 12. When it was all said and done, Luka became the first player in NBA history to record 30-plus points in each game of a nine-game win streak, and joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to average at least 40.0 ppg in the same stretch.
4. Kawhi’s career night
Kawhi Leonard pours in career-high 55 points.
In his 14th season at age-34, Kawhi Leonard stuffed the stat sheet and established a new career-high and Clippers’ franchise record with 55 points during a 112-99 victory against Detroit on Dec. 28. He added a robust line of 11 rebounds, two assists, five steals and three blocks with a plus-20 rating in 39 minutes, finishing 17-for-26 from the floor, 5-for-10 from downtown and a pristine 16-for-17 at the foul line. Following a 25-point first half, Leonard exceeded that with a herculean 26-point third quarter while sinking nine of his 12 shot attempts and going 3-for-5 on 3-pointers. He joined Bob McAdoo as the second player in franchise history to score 40 or more points in consecutive home games.
After suiting up for just 37 contests in 2024-25, ‘The Klaw’ is posting career-best numbers in scoring (28.0), made field goals (9.8), 3-pointers made (2.7), FT% (89.1), and TS% (63.0) while ranking fifth in the NBA in steals per game (1.9) and sixth in scoring. In addition, Leonard has scored 20 or more points in 56 consecutive games, good for a career and franchise record.
5. Reaves goes nuclear
Austin Reaves pours in career-high 51 points.
No LeBron James or Luka Dončić? No problem. Austin Reaves certified himself as a legitimate star in a thrilling 127-120 win over Sacramento on Oct. 26 by catching fire for a career-high 51 points in 39 minutes. The fifth-year guard notched the first 50-piece of his professional tenure on just 22 shot attempts, as he finished 12-for-22 from the field, 6-for-10 from long distance and a crisp 21-for-22 at the free throw stripe. Reaves, 27, also tallied 11 rebounds, nine assists and two steals in the back-and-forth affair, which saw 19 lead changes and 12 ties in the third tilt of the season for both teams.
