The top single-game scoring performances in Bucks history
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With his 55-point performance Tuesday in a win over the Washington Wizards, Giannis Antetokounmpo reached rare air with a new career high and only one Milwaukee Bucks player remaining ahead of him in single-game scoring.
These are the best single-game performances on the docket, featuring a lot of Giannis, and a lot of Kareem. But neither perches at the very top.
57: Michael Redd (Nov. 11, 2006 vs. Utah)
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The former second-round pick turned into a scoring machine for the Bucks, and he racked up 42 points in the second half to set a franchise record. And yet, somehow, the Jazz won the game, 113-111, when Redd’s final 3-pointer didn’t go down. Redd made 18 of 32 shots and 6 of 12 from three.
Making 20 of 33 shots, Antetokounmpo also brought in 10 rebounds and seven assists, not to mention an uncharacteristically brilliant showing at the free-throw line (15 of 16). The performance helped a slumping Bucks team grab a needed 123-113 win over the Wizards and continued a masterful run of recent play from Giannis, who scored 43 and 45 points in his previous two outings and had five 40-plus point games in a stretch of seven.
Of course, it might have been 57 were it not for a missed dunk.
Before he became the sparkplug for the “Bucks in 6” phenomenon, Jennings was an exciting rookie who dropped 55 points on the Golden State Warriors just eight games into his NBA career, part of a 129-125 victory. The guard made 21 of 34 shots, including 7 of 8 from distance. His big moment was the third quarter, when he scored 29 points on 12 of 13 shots to lead a rally. It was the most points by an NBA rookie since Earl Monroe scored 56 on Feb. 13, 1968.
The reigning NBA champs came back with a vengeance in 1971-72, starting 30-4. Against Boston, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar set a new career high and franchise record in a 120-104 victory at the Milwaukee Arena, with Kareem hitting 23 of 36 shots and adding 18 rebounds. The loudest cheers of the night came when Abdul-Jabbar drained a 15-foot shot.
53: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Feb. 18, 1972 vs. Philadelphia)
Making 18 of 28 from the field and 17 of 22 at the line, the efficient Abdul-Jabbar still wasn’t enough to top Philadelphia in a 132-126 Bucks loss — even though this was the first Philadelphia team to ever miss the NBA playoffs.
53: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Feb. 9, 1972 at Cleveland)
Hitting 23 of 31 shots, it’s the second-best shooting percentage (74.2%) of any 50-point game in Bucks history. Without Oscar Robertson available, Abdul-Jabbar rose to the occasion, making 12 in a row at one point to help the Bucks hold off a hard-charging Cleveland squad, 126-121.
53: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Jan. 27, 1971 at Boston)
Kareem’s tip-in of Bob Dandridge’s miss with 16 seconds left gave Milwaukee a 130-129 lead, and the Bucks scored a thrilling 132-129 win over Boston during Milwaukee’s championship season. On the ensuing inbound, John Havlicek took the pass after a timeout and fired a pass right to Oscar Robertson, leading to two sealing free throws from Bob Boozer.
Kareem, who was then Lew Alcindor, had been poked in the eye by rookie Dave Cowens at the start of the night but proceeded to set his own career mark for field goals, hitting 22 of 31 shots. He matched his own season high for points.
In the early stages of Milwaukee’s championship season, Abdul-Jabbar/Alcindor topped his personal pro scoring record with 53 points, and his rebound with 6 seconds left, plus Greg Smith’s steal, sealed a 110-108 win over Cleveland. The Bucks moved to 6-1, and it was the fifth win in a row of what became a 16-game winning streak. Milwaukee Messmer High School product John Johnson set up for a tying jumper, but it was off the mark, and Alcindor got the board.
In a 130-125 loss before a national TV audience on a St. Patrick’s Day afternoon, Giannis nonetheless delivered one of his signature performances, racking up 16 rebounds, seven assists and a career-best 52 points. But Joel Embiid added 40 points and 15 rebounds, including a clinching 3-pointer, to help his team win at Fiserv Forum, which welcomed its biggest crowd to date. Giannis made 15 of 26 shots, including 3 of 8 from 3-point range.
Redd made eight 3-pointers on 13 attempts and 18 of 32 shots overall. But as was the case when Redd scored 57 points earlier in the season, the Bucks lost the game, taking a 126-121 setback in overtime. The Bucks blew an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter, and Bulls guard Ben Gordon had 48 points to help Chicago sweep the four-game season series with Milwaukee.
52: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Jan. 2, 1975 vs. Atlanta)
In his final season with the Bucks, Abdul-Jabbar provided one last eye-popping offensive performance, hitting 18 of 29 shots and 16 of 20 from the free-throw line, with 18 rebounds for good measure. Milwaukee won, 116-111, and showed hints that it was maybe returning to its previous elite form.
Middleton hit his first seven 3-pointers and delivered an exciting dunk to reach the 50-point mark in a 151-131 win, becoming the oldest Bucks player to clear 50 points in a game at 28 years, 169 days. He hit 16 of 26 shots and made all 12 of his free throws and did it all in just 36 minutes. Antetokonumpo wasn’t available in the game, giving Middleton a spotlight.
51: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Feb. 13, 1972 at Boston)
Dave Cowens was no match for Abdul-Jabbar in one-on-one coverage, and the Bucks prevailed to snap Boston’s nine-game winning streak in a 117-109 outcome. It brought Abdul-Jabbar’s season average in four games vs. Boston to 44.8 points, even though he needed 36 shots to hit 21 baskets.
Milwaukee built a big halftime lead, lost it and got it back in a 140-127 road win, with Abdul-Jabbar recording a new career high in scoring on 18 of 25 shooting. The game was played at Memorial Coliseum in Portland before a sellout crowd eager to see the expansion Blazers inhabit the new building the following season. Kareem joined Wilt Chamberlain, Elvin Hays, Elgin Baylor, Earl Monroe and Rick Barry as the only rookies to score 50 points in a game, a fraternity that would add Jennings in 2009 and Allen Iverson in 1997 (but no other players in the years since).
There are four regular-season examples of 50 points even (two by Abdul-Jabbar, two by Antetokounmpo), but if we’re talking about a 50-point game, we’re thinking about this one. In Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Giannis delivered a masterclass effort and helped the Bucks clinch the 2021 NBA championship over the Phoenix Suns with a 4-2 series win. It was perfect serendipity that the Bucks won their first title in 50 years thanks to the 50-point showing, during which Giannis hit 17 of his 19 free throws in the 105-98 win. It was tied for the most points all-time in an NBA Finals closeout game (matching Bob Pettit in 1958) and remains the franchise record for playoff points in a game.
JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The top single-game scoring performances in Bucks history