LeBron James (2013) is the most recent addition to our top five in most points in an NBA Finals Game 7.
Game 7 of the NBA Finals is the ultimate stage to cement legendary status. Some of the game’s greatest players have saved their best moments for Game 7. 2025 brings the first NBA Finals Game 7 in nearly a decade as the Thunder play host to the Pacers in a winner-take-all showdown. Below, we’ll look at the top five scoring efforts ever recorded in NBA Finals Game 7 history.
1. Jerry West, 42 points (1969 Los Angeles Lakers)
Mr. Clutch lived up to his name in the 1969 Finals and Game 7 saw him raise his game even further. West dropped 42 points on 14-for-29 shooting to notch his third game of at least 40 points in those Finals. Putting up 40 points is no small feat, particularly considering this came before the inception of the three-point line. Unfortunately for West and the Lakers, his heroics weren’t quite enough to take down the Celtics as Boston won Game 7 by a score of 108-106. West averaged 37.9 points per game in the series and became the only player in NBA history to be named NBA Finals MVP on a losing team.
2. Elgin Baylor, 41 points (1962 Los Angeles Lakers)
The Lakers and Celtics have met in the Finals 12 times in their storied histories and Baylor participated in seven of those series during his career. The 1962 Finals were an instant classic that went seven games, and Baylor was a massive factor. In a game full of other legends like Bill Russell, Jerry West and Bob Cousy, Baylor’s 41 points stood above the rest and still ranks as the second-highest point total in NBA Finals history. Baylor attempted a whopping 40 shots and connected on 13 of them while also sinking 15 of 21 free throws and pulling down 22 rebounds. The Celtics won in overtime on the strength of Russell’s 30-point, 40-rebound effort, however.
3. Bob Petit, 39 points (1957 St. Louis Hawks)
Petit was a driving force for the Hawks’ hayday in the 1950s and early 1960s. 1957 marked the second of four meetings between the Hawks and Celtics in the Finals in a five-year span. Petit had himself a tremendous series and saved his best for Game 7 after logging 30-or-more points in four of the first six games. He dropped 39 points and pulled down 19 rebounds over a grueling 56 minutes in a double-overtime showdown. The Hawks would fall to the Celtics 125-123 in Game 7 but Petit led them to the mountaintop the following season.
4. LeBron James, 37 points (2013 Miami Heat)
The most recent entrant on this list is James, who dialed up a masterful performance in Game 7 to deliver the Heat their second consecutive Larry O’Brien trophy. The Heat forced Game 7 on the heels of Ray Allen’s iconic corner three in Game 6. In Game 7, James went 12-for-23 from the floor and 5-for-10 from deep while grabbing 12 rebounds and swiping two steals in 45 minutes. The Heat went on to win 95-88. The two teams would rematch in the following year’s NBA Finals.
5. Tom Heinsohn, 37 points (1957 Boston Celtics)
That’s right: two of the top five NBA Finals scoring performances all-time happened in the same game. While Bob Petit lit it up for the Hawks with 39 points, Heinsohn was keeping pace on the other side for the Celtics. Heinsohn went for 37 points on 17-for-33 shooting and added 23 rebounds. As mentioned, Heinsohn’s Celtics would go on to win 125-123 double-overtime thriller. Making Heinsohn’s heroics all the more impressive that night is the fact that he was a rookie.
