Michael Jordan’s 63 Remains the NBA Playoff Record

Michael Jordan holds the NBA record for the most points by one player in a playoff game. He scored 63 points for the Chicago Bulls against the Boston Celtics on April 20, 1986, and the record still stands as of September 29, 2026.

The performance came in Game 2 of a first-round series and required two overtimes. Boston won 135–131, making Jordan’s record the highest individual postseason score in a loss. The NBA’s single-game playoff scoring list places Elgin Baylor second with 61 points and Donovan Mitchell third with 57.

Choose a performance to see how close it came to Jordan’s 63-point record.

Jordan Leads the Playoff Scoring List by Two Points

Jordan’s 63 is two points above Baylor’s 61 and six above Mitchell’s 57. Four performances share the next position at 56 points, seven short of the record.

Rank	Player and team	Points	Date
1	Michael Jordan, Bulls	63	April 20, 1986
2	Elgin Baylor, Lakers	61	April 14, 1962
3	Donovan Mitchell, Jazz	57	August 17, 2020
T-4	Jimmy Butler, Heat	56	April 24, 2023
T-4	Charles Barkley, Suns	56	May 4, 1994
T-4	Michael Jordan, Bulls	56	April 29, 1992
T-4	Wilt Chamberlain, Warriors	56	March 22, 1962

The table describes individual scoring in one NBA postseason game. It does not rank scoring averages across a series or an entire playoff run. It also does not require the player’s team to win the game. Jordan’s 63 and Mitchell’s 57 both came in losses.

Fourth place is shared because Butler, Barkley, Jordan and Chamberlain each scored 56. None takes precedence within that tie based on date, team result or shooting method. For this record, the ordering measure is simply total points credited to the player in the game.

Jordan also appears twice in the first seven entries. His 56-point game from 1992 is tied for fourth, but it is a separate performance from the 63-point game that holds the record.

Jordan Scored 63 Without Attempting a Three-Pointer

Every point in Jordan’s record game came from a two-point field goal or a free throw. He did not make or attempt a 3-pointer.

Scoring source	Made–attempted	Points
Two-point field goals	22–41	44
Three-point field goals	0–0	0
Free throws	19–21	19
Total	—	63

The scoring equation is 44 points on field goals plus 19 at the free-throw line, equaling 63. Because all 22 made field goals were worth two points, they supplied more than twice as many points as his free throws. The 19 free throws were still a substantial part of the final total.

Jordan shot 53.7% from the field and 90.5% on free throws while playing 53 minutes. He added five rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks, according to the game box score.

The absence of a 3-point attempt is part of what distinguishes the scoring line from many later high-scoring games. Jordan played in an NBA that had a 3-point line, but none of his 63 points came from it. The record therefore did not depend on multiplying made long-range shots into three-point possessions.

That does not make the line directly comparable to performances before the 3-point era. Baylor’s and Chamberlain’s 1962 games have no 3-point category because those performances predated the NBA 3-point era. Jordan’s line has a 3-point category of 0-for-0 because the shot was available but unused.

The Record Required an Exceptional Share of Chicago’s Offense

Jordan took 41 of Chicago’s 102 field-goal attempts. He also attempted 21 of the Bulls’ 46 free throws. Those figures show how much of the team’s shooting workload ran through him during the double-overtime game.

His 63 points accounted for 48.1% of Chicago’s 131-point total. That percentage is a share of the team’s final points, not a claim that Jordan personally created the same share of every offensive possession. The box score also credits him with six assists, but points scored by teammates following those assists are not part of his 63.

The attempt totals and scoring share measure different parts of the performance. Field-goal attempts record shots from the floor, while free-throw attempts record shots at the line. The 48.1% figure compares Jordan’s points with Chicago’s total rather than comparing his attempts with every Bulls possession.

His 53.7% field-goal percentage came from making 22 of 41 attempts. Since he attempted no 3-pointers, every made field goal contributed two points. His 90.5% free-throw percentage came from making 19 of 21 attempts.

Those percentages explain how the total was assembled, but neither percentage is itself the record under discussion. The playoff scoring record is 63 points. Shooting percentages describe the efficiency of the attempts that produced it.

Double Overtime Added Time but Did Not Reduce the Record

The game lasted two overtimes, supplying 10 minutes beyond regulation. Jordan played 53 minutes in total. Those extra periods gave both teams more time to score, and they are relevant context for interpreting the number.

They do not place the performance in a separate record category. The NBA’s list treats points scored during regulation and overtime as part of the same playoff game total. Jordan’s 63 therefore stands as the overall single-game postseason record rather than an overtime-only record.

Boston’s 135–131 victory also illustrates the difference between an individual scoring record and a team result. Jordan produced the game’s historic total, but Chicago lost. A player’s points are recorded regardless of whether his team finishes ahead.

The opponent was not merely the winner of that night’s game. Boston went on to win the championship, as the NBA’s 1985–86 season review records. That fact supplies context for the defense Jordan faced and the series in which the performance occurred. It does not change how the 63 points are counted.

The Closest Challengers Reached 61, 57 and 56

Elgin Baylor is the only player on the NBA’s cited list within two points of Jordan. Baylor scored 61 for the Los Angeles Lakers on April 14, 1962. That game carries an additional distinction: it occurred in the NBA Finals.

Donovan Mitchell is third with 57 points for the Utah Jazz on August 17, 2020. He went 19-for-33 from the field and 13-for-13 at the line, making six 3-pointers during the performance. He scored 38 points after halftime, including overtime, but Utah lost to Denver (NBA.com).

Mitchell’s line demonstrates a different route to a high playoff total. Six of his made field goals were worth three points, whereas Jordan attempted no 3-pointers in the 63-point game. Both players also reached the free-throw line, but Mitchell made all 13 of his attempts while Jordan made 19 of 21.

The comparison should remain limited to what the box-score categories establish. Jordan scored six more points overall. Mitchell used 3-pointers as part of his total, and Jordan did not. Both games went beyond regulation, and both performances came in losses.

The four 56-point games form the next tier. Jimmy Butler reached 56 for Miami in 2023, Charles Barkley for Phoenix in 1994, Jordan for Chicago in 1992 and Wilt Chamberlain for the Philadelphia Warriors in 1962. Each is seven points behind the record, even though the games occurred in different periods of NBA history.

Elgin Baylor Holds the Separate NBA Finals Record

Elgin Baylor holds the narrower NBA Finals single-game record with 61 points. He also grabbed 22 rebounds as the Lakers beat Boston 126–121 in Game 5 of the 1962 Finals. Boston then won Games 6 and 7 to take the championship, but Baylor’s scoring mark remains the Finals record (NBA.com).

The two record questions have different scopes:

• Any NBA playoff game: Michael Jordan, 63 points
• NBA Finals game: Elgin Baylor, 61 points

Every Finals game is a playoff game, so Baylor’s 61 also ranks second on the overall postseason list. Not every playoff game is a Finals game, however. Jordan’s 63 came in the first round, which means it cannot be the Finals single-game record despite being the higher postseason total.

This distinction resolves the apparent conflict between the two names. Jordan is the correct answer when “playoff game” means any round of the NBA postseason. Baylor is the correct answer when the question is limited to the championship series.

What the 63-Point Record Measures

The record measures points officially credited to one player in one NBA playoff game, including overtime. It does not measure points per minute, shooting efficiency, series scoring or how far the player’s team advanced.

Jordan’s supporting numbers answer separate questions. His 53.7% field-goal percentage describes makes divided by attempts from the floor. His 90.5% free-throw percentage describes his work at the line. His 48.1% share describes how much of Chicago’s final score came directly from his points.

The team result is separate as well. Boston won the game, while Jordan retained credit for all 63 points. That is why the most points in an NBA playoff game can belong to a player on the losing team—and why Michael Jordan remains the answer to the overall record question.