Points in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making

field goals A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

(two or

three 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...

points) or

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

s (one point). If a player makes a field goal from within the three-point line, the player scores two points. If the player makes a field goal from beyond the three-point line, the player scores three points. The team that has recorded the most points at the end of a game is declared that game's winner.

NBA

Regular season

* Most career points:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

(38,387 pts) * Highest career scoring average: Michael Jordan (30.12 ppg)NBA.com: All Time Leaders: Points Per Game
/ref> * Most points scored in a season: 4,029 by

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...

(1961–62)NBA.com: Regular Season Records: Points
/ref> * Highest seasonal scoring average: 50.4 by

(1961–62) * Most points in one game: 100 by

(3/2/1962 vs. New York Knicks) * Most points in one half, regular season: 59 by

* Most points in one quarter, regular season: 37 by

Klay Thompson Klay Alexander Thompson (born February 8, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A four-time NBA champion with the Warriors, he is a five-time NBA All-St ...

* Most points in one overtime period, regular season: 16 by

Gilbert Arenas Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. (; born January 6, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Arenas attended Grant High School in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, and accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Arizona lat ...

Playoffs

* Most career points, Playoffs:

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...

(7,491) * Highest career scoring average, Playoffs: Michael Jordan (33.4) * Most points in one game, Playoffs: Michael Jordan (63, 4/20/1986 vs. Boston Celtics OT * Most points in one half, Playoffs:

Sleepy Floyd Eric Augustus "Sleepy" Floyd (born March 6, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. An NBA All-Star in 1987 as a Warrior, he is perhaps best known for his tenures for Golden State and Houston. Early life, family and education ...

(39, Golden State Warriors vs.

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

) * Most points in one quarter, Playoffs:

(29, Golden State Warriors vs.

) * Most points in one overtime period, Playoffs: Stephen Curry (17, 5/9/16 vs.

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

) * Most points in one game, Finals:

Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lak ...

(61, 4/14/1962 vs. Boston Celtics) * Most points in one half, Finals: Michael Jordan (35, 6/3/1992 vs.

)

U.S. college

* Most points in one game: 138 points by Grinnell's Jack Taylor on November 20, 2012 *Highest career scoring average:

Pete Maravich Peter Press Maravich ( ; June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988), known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player. Maravich was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, and raised i ...

(44.2ppg)

References

Basketball terminology Basketball statistics Scoring (basketball) {{basketball-stub

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

U.S. college

See also

References