NBA: 5 Highest Scoring Games of Michael Jordan's career

Michael Jordan is the best scorer in NBA history, plain and simple. He holds the record for points per game in both the regular season and the Playoffs, and his singular dominance at putting the ball in the cup is what people remember about him most after his six titles. MJ has scoring averages of 30.12 in the regular season and 33.45 in the playoffs and he won 10 scoring titles during his career (7 straight).

With that, you know there are going to be many epic games where Air Jordan simply overwhelmed the competition as they tried everything in their arsenal to stop him, to no avail. What's unique about this list, Wilt Chamberlain is the only other players who could make this claim, is all five games are 60+ points. When MJ had it going, there was simply no stopping him.

#5 61 points vs Atlanta on April 16th, 1987

Jordan went to battle vs one of the top teams in the East and dominated.

This is the only game on the list where MJ managed to score 60+ in regulation, happening in his 81st game of the season en route to his first scoring title, a season where he averaged an astounding 37.1 points per game. This was no slouch of a Hawks team, as they finished with 57 wins and the 2nd best defense in the league this season. Jordan was simply too dominant for them this night, shooting 22-38 from the field and knocking down 17-21 from the charity stripe.

What is even more impressive, especially as we watch today's games of endless threes, is the fact that Jordan accomplished this feat while knocking down zero three-pointers. He used his superior athleticism to relentlessly attack the hoop and finish at the cup or draw fouls. Jordan wasn't just a one trick pony in this game either, as he also grabbed 10 rebounds and tracked down 4 steals. Despite Jordan's 60-point double-double and relentless effort, he was not able to bring the young Bulls over the hump in this game as they fell in a hard fought game by three points.

#4 61 points vs Detroit on March 4, 1987

The Pistons had a special set of defensive rules for MJ but it couldn't stop him on this night.

Another 61 point game for MJ in his historic 1987 season, again against one of the top teams in the league. If these first two games on the list prove anything, it's what people always talk about when they discuss Jordan, his competitive fire burnt the brightest against the best. This Pistons team was on their way to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance and sported the 5th best defense in the league. For a legendary competitor like Air Jordan, this is just an invitation to rip your heart out and that's what he did in leading the Bulls to an overtime win.

His stats are eerily similar to the game he had a month later vs the Hawks, shooting 22-39 from the field while making 17-18 free throws and, again, zero three-pointers. For reference, he made 12 threes total on the season! It's so impressive that Jordan was able to be so efficient this game while clearly being the number one offensive threat on his team. The second most shot attempts by a Bulls player that night was 15, less than the number MJ made.

That is what defined MJ this season, a singular scoring threat who dragged the Bulls to the Playoffs with little help around him. This game no doubt served Jordan well in future years as he would go on to have many Playoff battles with this Detroit Pistons team.

#3 63 points vs Boston on April 20, 1986

God disguised as Michael Jordan.

This game might be the most memorable of all of Jordan's 60 point games. It was a Playoff game in the famed Boston Garden, against one of the greatest teams of all time, the eventual NBA champions, in a season where he only played 18 games due to a broken foot, defying Bulls management to come back and play because he couldn't stand to sit out anymore.

It also inspired a famous quote by opponent Larry Bird, who had just locked up a third straight MVP, "He is the most exciting, awesome player in the game today. I think it's just God disguised as Michael Jordan."

Some might want to discount the game because it happened in double overtime and the Bulls still lost, but when you consider the opponent and the fact they finished the season 50-1 at home, the criticism just doesn't hold up. He finished 22-41 from the field, again no three-pointers, while knocking down 19-21 from the free throw line.

MJ lived from 18 feet and in this game, destroying single coverage and any double team that the Celtics threw at him with a sublime midrange jumper and a quick first step Boston just couldn't handle. While it is easy to just point to his point and minutes (53 played) total as evidence of his relentlessness, he also accumulated 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, showing the world he was no one trick pony. People knew that MJ was going to be a star, but this playoff performance in just his second season left no doubt that he was now a superstar.

#2 64 points vs Orlando on January 16, 1993

This year was the beginning of a short-lived MJ vs Orlando rivalry

Another overtime game that saw MJ drop 60+ points, and weirdly, the third loss on the top 5. This was the most interesting thing I found on the list, MJ kept losing games where he scored 60. This isn't a commentary on if high scoring by a singular player is detrimental to team success, but it is interesting when we associate Jordan so much with winning. This game came in the midst of one of Jordan's greatest season which would culminate in his first three-peat, but somehow he didn't win the MVP this year.

This served as one of Jordan's least efficient 60 point games, as he took 49 shots to get to 64 points, knocking down 1-5 threes and just 9-11 from the charity stripe. He seemed a little tired in this game, the second night of a back to back and his fifth game in nine days, relying more on his jumper than usual, as evidence by both the lower efficiency and low number of free throws (for him).

This is one of those games that illustrates Jordan so much, he didn't have his apparent A game, but still was able to impose his will on the defense and find a to drag a tired Bulls team to overtime. He seemed to have some big lapse in energy, as evidenced by having 5 steals (burst) and 5 fouls (laziness). Regardless, this is a lost game when we speak about MJ and his greatest scoring games.

#1 69 points vs Cleveland on March 28, 1990

Quite possibly Michael Jordan's best night of his career.

The highest scoring game of the G.O.A.T.'s career came in the season the Bulls began to emerge as the team of the 90s. Fresh off his series-winning shot in the first round of the playoffs the previous year, MJ was back to terrorize the dreams of Cleveland players and fans alike. Yet another overtime game, but finally a win for Jordan to match his impressive scoring feat, one that ranks 12th for most points scored in one game.

Jordan was ruthlessly efficient on this night, shooting 23-37 from the field, including 2-6 from three, and hitting 21-23 from the free throw line. This might have been the peak of MJ's physical dominance a perfect blend of athleticism and intelligence, able to just physically beat his opponent whenever he chose. He was so dominant on this night he even grabbed 18 rebounds, dished out 6 dimes, and snagged 4 steals, just further showing how in the zone he was that night.

This was a night when the Bulls needed everything Jordan could give, as only two teammates hit double-digit shot attempts and no one had double-digit rebounds. This goes down as one of the games people can point to when trying to explain MJ's greatness, sheer athleticism, and dominance of will, leading his team to victory on a night when they needed him the most.