Has there been a 300 point NBA game?

Has There Ever Been a 300-Point NBA Game?

While no single NBA team has ever scored 300 points in a game, the league has seen some legendary scoring explosions—and one game in particular stands out in the record books.

The closest the NBA ever came to a 300-point total was on December 13, 1983, in a wild, high-octane showdown between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets. Played at the Pontiac Silverdome, this regular-season thriller went into triple overtime and finished with a combined score of 370 points—186 for Detroit and 184 for Denver. That remains the highest-scoring game in NBA history.

Back in the 1980s, the league played at a much faster pace, with an emphasis on offense and less defensive structure. The Pistons and Nuggets that night set records across the board: 132 field goals made, 72 free throws attempted, and nearly 70 minutes of game time thanks to three overtimes. Kiki Vandeweghe of the Nuggets poured in 51 points, while Isiah Thomas led Detroit with 47 in a performance that’s still talked about decades later.

Could a game like that happen today? Probably not. The modern NBA is more strategic, with tighter shot clocks, advanced defenses, and load management limiting minutes. But that 1983 classic remains a reminder of a wilder, more unpredictable era—when basketball felt less like a chess match and more like a track meet.

So, no—there’s never been a 300-point game by one team. But the Pistons and Nuggets came as close as it gets, and in doing so, created a piece of NBA folklore that still holds up.