Gilbert Arenas was among the scoring leaders in Washington Wizards playoff history
The Washington Wizards have had several iterations in their history between stops in Baltimore and Washington, along with name changes. However, one constant has been the Wizards getting some great performances from their players in the biggest moments. Read on to see the best individual scoring efforts in Wizards playoff history.
Elvin Hayes, 46 Points (1975 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 5)
Elvin Hayes turned in a massive performance in Game 5 to help give Washington a 3-2 advantage in the series. He dropped 46 points while no other Bullet had more than 14. Hayes outdueled Bob McAdoo, who had 34 points and 13 rebounds, on the other side. The series went the distance and Washington came out on top with a 115-96 victory in Game 7.
Gilbert Arenas, 44 Points (2006 Eastern Conference Round One, Game 5
Arenas and the Wizards had a wild series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2006 Playoffs. Three games out of six were decided by a single point, including Game 5. Arenas was on his game with 44 points over 52 minutes of action while also dishing out four assists. Unfortunately for the Wizards, Arenas’ effort wasn’t quite enough as they fell 121-120 in this matchup. Cleveland won Game 6, 114-113, to close out the series.
John Wall, 42 Points (2017 Eastern Conference First Round, Game 6)
Wall and the Wizards were on the cusp of punching their ticket for the second round when they got to Game 6 against the Hawks. As it turned out, they didn’t want to wait around for a Game 7. Wall erupted for 42 points and eight assists as the Wizards knocked off the Hawks 115-99 to advance. He averaged 29.5 points and 10.3 assists in the series overall.
Kevin Grevey, 41 Points (1978 Eastern Conference First Round, Game 2)
1978 is an important year in franchise history as that was when the Bullets nabbed their first and only NBA championship. They got things rolling in the opening round with a 2-0 sweep over the Hawks. Game 2 was a tricky one down in Atlanta, though, as Grevey’s 41 points helped propel Washington to a narrow four-point victory to clinch the series. Grevey was a scoring force in this two-game set with a 29.0 PPG average.
Elvin Hayes, 40 Points (1974 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 1)
The year before his 46-point effort that still stands as the franchise benchmark, Elvin Hayes dropped 40 on the Knicks in the series opener of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Wizards – then called the Capital Bullets – would drop that game 102-9. However, they still made a series of it by sending it to seven games. Hayes was the leading scorer in the series with 25.9 points per game.
