Detroit Pistons Won The Highest Scoring NBA Game Ever In 1983
Sports in Michigan is a pretty sacred thing, especially when it comes to the history of our teams and I love when I discover an awesome feat one of our teams accomplished.
Way back before I was even born, the Detroit Pistons were able to accomplish two amazing feats in one single game, as they not only participated in the highest-scoring NBA game of all time but they even won the game.
The game went down on Dec. 13, 1983, and was against the Denver Nuggets who had the highest-scoring season as a team that year. It's pretty crazy to think that between Denver and Detroit, who were the highest and 3rd highest scoring teams during the season respectively, they were able to take the game to triple overtime, where Detroit finally won 186-184. That's 370 total points. ESPN looks back at this historic game...
It May Never Be Broken
The numbers don't seem real. They're not just out of the past, they're altogether alien. They simply don't compute. The 2005-06 Phoenix Suns, everybody's high-octane darlings, lead the league right now, averaging 103 points per game. The Portland Trail Blazers bring up the rear at 85.9. But it happened. The league has a photo of the official scorebook at NBA.com. The New York Times has commemorated the game in its "This Day in Sports" series. And Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe tells me he was there.
The biggest play of the game I feel is the block that Bill Laimbeer made to secure a solid lead with only minutes to play. This is one of those records that may never be broken, especially with the state of the game today, much like Joe DiMaggio's 56-gam hit streak. You can watch the full game below:
Unbreakable Sports Records and the Athletes That Set Them