Last Updated on March 16, 2022 by
No! There hasn’t been any basketball team with more than 200 points in a single professional game. However, in 1983, the Detroit Pistons came the closest to achieving this feat when they beat the Denver Nuggets 186–184 and this is the most in the history of the NBA.
Any basketball fans who have been keeping up with the NBA season know that nowadays, teams are valued for their offensive prowess. It seems like defensive strategies are no longer a part of the game and everyone wants to score! Even teams like the Brooklyn Nets who proudly display former All-Star Point Guard Deron Williams on their roster now are known to be among some of the most offensively efficient in the entire league. The abilities of Brook Lopez and star shooting guards such as James Harden and Isaiah Thomas clearly speak for themselves as they constantly put up huge numbers game after game after game. These stats may lead you to wonder if any team has ever scored more than 200 points in an NBA game?
The NBA has seen many famous matches that featured both teams scoring a lot of points. In the ’90s, teams were more focused on defense and if we take a look at modern-day basketball, scoring points has become easier and statistics prove this fact clearly. Almost every match today ends with both teams totaling more than 100 points.
It is quite difficult for a team to score more than 200 points in a single professional match. Although there are some matches at the amateur level where a team scores more than. 200 points. It is quite impossible at the professional level because teams compete with the best players in the league.
3 Historical Basketball Games With The Highest Points

As stated on the NBA official website, it is almost impossible for a regular match to end in more than 200 points. This is due to various rules statistics and guidelines that are being used by an organization. But there have been countless games where teams pushed each other to surpass the 200 point milestone but were unable to make many consecutive shots towards the goal or did not commit enough personal fouls which would make them lose one of their players out from the court for some time. Having said that, we will now be looking at some games where a few records were set and got even closer to that point but still not breaking any records to this day. We’ve compiled a list of three historical basketball games where NBA teams scored a lot of points closer to 200.
Detroit Pistons – Denver Nuggets 186:184, 3OT
On December 13, 1983, the Detroit Pistons played against Denver Nuggets. It remains as the NBA’s highest-scoring match, and other NBA teams have attempted to beat the record but none have succeeded. In that same match, four players scored more than 40 points. The quarter-time score went as the following: 38:34, 36:40, 34:39, 37:32, 14:14, 12:12, 15:13 (OT).
San Antonio Spurs – Milwaukee Bucks 171:166, 3OT
On March 6, 1982, San Antonio Spurs played against Milwaukee Bucks. Before the game between Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets, this match held the record for the highest-scoring game in the history of the NBA for 21 months. The two teams went head to head in the whole game. It was really a tough and tense match – 33:35, 32:34, 35:34, 31:28, 14:14, 12:12, 14:9. The San Antonio Spurs leader in points, George Gervin, scored 50 points and led the team to a championship. His 21 field goals were the most among any other player during the playoffs.
Atlanta Hawks – Chicago Bulls 161:168, 4OT
Records are meant to be broken, but one record that didn’t get smashed under the wheels of progress was the sport of basketball. Winning by 7 points resulted in an amazing 168-161 score for the Chicago Bulls on March 1, 2019, making the latest game the highest-scoring game in history. It’s been almost 2 years since this historical moment took place and some people have yet to realize what took place — so let’s remind them that losing can sometimes be more exciting than winning! Each of the quarters was highly competitive and tense: 33:26, 27:31, 24:38, 40:29, 16:16, 7:7, 8:8, 6:13.
FAQs
We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions and answers. These FAQs will help you understand everything you need to know about NBA scoring records. Let’s check it out!
Has Any NBA Team Gone Undefeated?
Since 1976, only five teams have been able to finish the regular season undefeated. Wichita State is the most recent team finishing the season undefeated in 2014.
What Is The Biggest Blowout In NBA History?
In the 2018/19 NBA season, the Charlotte Hornets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 140-79, and the game remains the biggest blowout in NBA history.
What Are The Most Points An NBA Team Has Lost By?
On the 13th of December 1983, The Denver Nuggets held a record of being the only team in the history of the NBA with the most point in a loss in a game against the Pistons.
What Is The Highest-scoring NBA Game With No Overtime?
The highest scoring basketball game ever in the NBA took place on December 13, 1983, even if it didn’t go into overtime. The Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets averaged 117 points and 123 points respectively but that wasn’t a good indicator of what was to come.
Closing Thoughts
After the 1983 Detroit Pistons scored 186 points against the Denver Nuggets, no basketball game has had more than 200 points in one game; however, that streak came close to being broken last few years on March 1 2019 when the Bulls beat the Hawks by 7 points – 168:161. We’ve come to the final chapter of this informative article. We hope you were able to find good and reliable resources in your quest to know if any basketball team has scored 200 points. If you have any questions or comments about the article topic, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thanks!