The NBA world is still trying to reconfigure their collective jaws after Jimmy Butler put together one of the all-time great playoff scoring performances on Monday en route to an improbable 119-114 for the Miami Heat over the Milwaukee Bucks. One that gives the eighth seed in the matchup a suffocating 3-1 lead in the series.
In total, Butler scored 56 points on 19-of-28 shooting from the floor. That number ties him with the likes of Charles Barkley (May 4th, 1994), Michael Jordan (April 29, 1992), and Wilt Chamberlain (March 22, 1962) for fourth all-time in points scored in a single playoff game.
The only performances that top the one Butler put together on Monday are Michael Jordan’s 63-point game (April 20, 1986), Elgin Baylor’s 61-point game (April 14, 1961), and Donovan Mitchell’s 57-point game (August 17, 2020).
With all the fun that has been had dissecting Butler’s legendary performance, who is the owner of the highest-scoring playoff game in New Orleans Pelicans (and Hornets) history?
According to the good folks at StatMuse, the answer to that question would be Anthony Davis’ series-clinching performance in Game 4 of the 2018 Western Conference First Round against the Portland Trail Blazers.
In that game, Davis scored 47 points to propel the Pelicans to a 131-123 win over the Trail Blazers. That game would mark the last time that New Orleans has won a playoff series. His performance is tied for the 66th-highest single playoff game record (coincidentally tied with Butler’s 47-point game from May 27, 2022).
Interestingly enough, the Pelicans’ second-highest scoring output in a playoff game came that night as well, as Davis’ then-teammate Jrue Holiday authored a 41-point masterpiece of his own. That means that the tandem combined for 88 of the team’s 131 points in that game.
For those wondering, here are the top-10 single game playoff scoring performances in franchise history (the date on which each of these performances took place is listed in the parenthesis):
1. Anthony Davis – 47 points (April 21, 2018)
2. Jrue Holiday – 41 points (April 21, 2018)
3. David West – 38 points (May 13, 2008)
4. Brandon Ingram – 37 points (April 19, 2022)
5. Anthony Davis – 36 points (April 25, 2015)
6. Jamal Mashburn – 36 points (May 2, 2003)
7. Anthony Davis – 35 points (April 14, 2018)
8. Anthony Davis – 35 points (April 18, 2015)
9. Chris Paul – 35 points (May 8, 2008)
10. Chris Paul – 35 points (April 19, 2008)
Among current members of the team, Brandon Ingram is the only one who cracks the top-10. However, one can imagine that the moment Zion Williamson gets his bite at the apple, he will also add his name to the leaderboard. Who knows, maybe Trey Murphy III will get hot one night and match the 41-point eruption he had this regular season.
All we can hope for now is that the Pelicans find their way back into the playoffs real soon, so we can add new names to this list.