⏩ Numbers Game: Can Splash Brothers ever match 117-point night of Chamberlain, Attles?

With the anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100point game approaching, it’s a fun time to revisit the favorite joke of Al Attles, the Warriors’ ambassador who regularly reminds people that he and Chamberlain combined for 117 points on March 2, 1962.

Nearly 60 years later, Attles’ joke isn’t a laughing matter.

The 117 points still stands as the most points any two teammates have combined to score in an NBA game. Even with two of the greatest shooters in NBA history, the Warriors have not sniffed the record.

With their best tandem game having come Feb. 27, 2016, the Splash Brothers combined for 78 points against Oklahoma City. Stephen Curry had 46 points on 12for16 3point shooting in the virtuoso game, and Klay Thompson added 32 points on 23 fieldgoal attempts.

Curry and Thompson have combined for at least 70 points 16 times, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Warriors are 142 in those games.

The Warriors are 597 (.894) in games when the dynamic backcourt duo combines for at least 60 points.

Of course, that’s a far cry from ChamberlainAttles combination in 1962, but that’s true of many of Chamberlain’s scoring marks. The Hall of Fame center has scoring runs that overshadow even some of the league’s most memorable stretches.

Chamberlain was a seventime scoring champ, including averaging 50.4 points per game in 196162. Bolstered by his 100point game against New York, he averaged 59.9 points on 56% shooting during a 10game span from Feb. 17 to March 4, according to Stathead Basketball.

After Kobe Bryant returned from a twogame suspension for elbowing Memphis’ Mike Miller, Bryant went on an absolute tear in 2006. From Jan. 6 through Jan. 22, Bryant averaged 45.5 points per game on 48.7% shooting and capped the stretch with a careerhigh 81 points against Toronto.

Tentime scoring champ Michael Jordan scored his careerbest 69 points during a 10game blitz in 1990. He average 41.4 points on 58.1% shooting from March 21 to April 7.

Curry had a 10game scoring binge in which he averaged 34.5 points per game from Jan. 28 to Feb. 15, and surprisingly, it wasn’t even the best span of his career. From Feb. 3 through Feb. 27 in 2016, Curry averaged 36.7 points on 54.9% fieldgoal shooting and 53.6% 3point shooting during the 10game run.

Thompson’s careerdefining run came a year earlier. From Jan. 7 through Jan. 25, 2015, he averaged 28.6 points on 51.9% 3point shooting. The stretch included his 37point third quarter against Sacramento, which Thompson went 13for13 from the field, including 9for9 from 3point range and 2of2 from the foul line during the recordbreaking performance.

Only two NBA teams (Golden State and Portland) have multiple players with 60point games on their current roster. Curry had 62 points Jan. 3 to top the 60 points Thompson scored Dec. 5, 2016. Carmelo Anthony’s 62point night Jan. 24, 2014 came almost three years before Damian Lillard had the first of his three 60point games Nov. 8, 2019.