Take a look back at some great Game 7 plays in NBA history.
The 2026 NBA Playoffs are in full swing, and at least one series is guaranteed to have a Game 7: the Philadelphia 76ers vs. the Boston Celtics.
That longstanding postseason rivalry will have its Game 7 on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC & Peacock), but the lore of Game 7 in the NBA Playoffs extends well beyond those two teams. As such, here are some quick facts to know about Game 7s in NBA lore, as well as a complete guide to everything Game 7 in NBA history, too.
Editor’s note: Statistical support provided by Elias Sports Bureau, the official statistician of the NBA. All statistics and records are through the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Game 7: Did you know?
Jayson Tatum prints a vintage Game 7 masterpiece with 51 points to send Boston to the Eastern Conference finals.
• There have been 155 Game 7s in NBA history.
• Home teams have a record of 115-40 (.742) in Game 7s.
• Every active NBA franchise has played at least one Game 7.
• There have been 20 Game 7s in the NBA Finals, with home teams holding a 16-4 record. The most recent Game 7 in the NBA Finals came last season, when the host Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers.
• The first Game 7 in NBA history took place on April 6, 1948, when the Philadelphia Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors) defeated the St. Louis Bombers 85-46 in the Semifinals.
• Bill Russell won all 10 Game 7s in which he played, the most victories without a loss for a player.
• The record for most points by a player in a Game 7 is 51, set by the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
• The record for most points by a player in Game 7 of the NBA Finals is 42, set by the Los Angeles Lakers’ Jerry West against the Boston Celtics in 1969.
• The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James has scored the most total points in Game 7s with 279 – one more than Jerry West. (James has played eight Game 7s and West played nine.)
• Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers has served as a head coach in a record 16 Game 7s. Pat Riley (11) and Larry Brown (10) rank second and third, respectively, in most Game 7s coached.
• Red Auerbach won all eight of his Game 7s as a head coach, the most victories without a loss for a head coach. No other head coach has won more than two Game 7s without a loss.
• Ten players have recorded a triple-double in a Game 7: Jerry West, Larry Bird, James Worthy, Scottie Pippen, Russell Westbrook (two), Rajon Rondo (two), Blake Griffin, LeBron James, Nikola Jokić (two) and Chris Paul. West, Worthy and James are the only three players to have a triple-double in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
• The first Game 7 in the NBA Finals took place in 1951, when the Rochester Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) defeated the New York Knicks 79-75. In that series, New York lost the first three games before winning the next three games to force a Game 7.
• In addition to the New York Knicks in the 1951 NBA Finals, three other teams have rallied from a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7 (though none won the series): Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz in the 1994 Western Conference Semifinals; Portland Trail Blazers vs. Dallas Mavericks in the 2003 Western Conference First Round;
and Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference First Round.
• Ray Allen played in a record 11 Game 7s. Paul Pierce and Bill Russell each played in 10 Game 7s.
• The First Round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs had five Game 7s, a record for any round in a season. A record three
Game 7s were played on one day (May 3, 2014).
• The record for most Game 7s in a single season is five, which happened in 1993-94, 2013-14 and 2015-16.
• There have been at least three Game 7s in each of the last eight seasons (2017-18 – 2024-25).
• There has been at least one Game 7 road winner in each of the last 10 seasons (2015-16 – 2024-25).
• The Boston Celtics have played a record 37 Game 7s – or nearly 24% of all Game 7s in NBA history. Boston has a record of 27-10 (.730) in Game 7s.
• The Los Angeles Lakers have a record of 16-8 (.667) in Game 7s – 15-1 at home and 1-7 on the road. Their one home loss in Game 7 came against the Boston Celtics in the 1969 NBA Finals. The Lakers’ one road victory in Game 7 came against the Sacramento Kings in overtime in the 2002 Western Conference Finals.
Team-by-team records in Game 7s
| TEAM | OVERALL | HOME | ROAD | ||||||
| W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | |
| Atlanta Hawks | 5 | 9 | 0.357 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 9 | 0.100 |
| Boston Celtics | 27 | 10 | 0.730 | 22 | 6 | 0.786 | 5 | 4 | 0.556 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 1 | 3 | 0.250 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
| Chicago Bulls | 4 | 6 | 0.400 | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 6 | 0.143 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 6 | 2 | 0.750 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 2 | 2 | 0.500 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 5 | 3 | 0.625 | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| Denver Nuggets | 5 | 5 | 0.500 | 4 | 2 | 0.667 | 1 | 3 | 0.250 |
| Detroit Pistons | 5 | 5 | 0.500 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 5 | 0.167 |
| Golden State Warriors | 7 | 5 | 0.583 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 | 4 | 3 | 0.571 |
| Houston Rockets | 7 | 6 | 0.538 | 5 | 3 | 0.625 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| Indiana Pacers | 4 | 7 | 0.364 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 3 | 7 | 0.300 |
| LA Clippers | 4 | 6 | 0.400 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 | 1 | 4 | 0.200 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 16 | 8 | 0.667 | 15 | 1 | 0.938 | 1 | 7 | 0.125 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
| Miami Heat | 7 | 5 | 0.583 | 6 | 3 | 0.667 | 1 | 2 | 0.333 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 3 | 9 | 0.250 | 2 | 1 | 0.667 | 1 | 8 | 0.111 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| New York Knicks | 7 | 9 | 0.438 | 5 | 3 | 0.625 | 2 | 6 | 0.250 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 8 | 5 | 0.615 | 8 | 1 | 0.889 | 0 | 4 | 0.000 |
| Orlando Magic | 2 | 2 | 0.500 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 2 | 0.333 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 6 | 12 | 0.333 | 5 | 2 | 0.714 | 1 | 10 | 0.091 |
| Phoenix Suns | 4 | 6 | 0.400 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 | 1 | 3 | 0.250 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 2 | 2 | 0.500 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 2 | 0.333 |
| Sacramento Kings | 2 | 5 | 0.400 | 1 | 2 | 0.333 | 1 | 3 | 0.250 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 4 | 7 | 0.364 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 | 1 | 5 | 0.167 |
| Toronto Raptors | 3 | 3 | 0.500 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Utah Jazz | 3 | 3 | 0.500 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| Washington Wizards | 6 | 4 | 0.600 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 2 | 4 | 0.333 |
| St. Louis Bombers (inactive) | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | — |
| TOTALS | 155 | 155 | 0.500 | 115 | 40 | 0.742 | 40 | 115 | 0.258 |
Note: Teams listed may have played in different cities or had different names for some Game 7s played.
Game 7 career leaders
LeBron James fulfills his promise to Cleveland and brings the Cavaliers their first NBA championship ever in a classic Game 7.
Most Points In Game 7s
| PLAYER | PTS | GAMES | ||
| LeBron James | 279 | 8 | ||
| Jerry West | 278 | 9 | ||
| Elgin Baylor | 263 | 9 | ||
| Sam Jones | 244 | 9 | ||
| Wilt Chamberlain | 220 | 9 | ||
| Larry Bird | 216 | 8 | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 187 | 7 | ||
| Paul Pierce | 186 | 10 | ||
| Bill Russell | 186 | 10 | ||
| Stephen Curry | 185 | 6 | ||
Most Points Per Game In Game 7s
| PLAYER | AVG | G | PTS | |||
| Luka Dončić | 40.5 | 2 | 81 | |||
| Kevin Durant | 36.2 | 5 | 181 | |||
| LeBron James | 34.9 | 8 | 279 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 33.7 | 3 | 101 | |||
| Allen Iverson | 32.5 | 2 | 65 | |||
| George Gervin | 32.0 | 3 | 96 | |||
| Kevin Johnson | 31.0 | 3 | 93 | |||
| Yao Ming | 31.0 | 2 | 62 | |||
| Jerry West | 30.9 | 9 | 278 | |||
| Stephen Curry | 30.8 | 6 | 185 | |||
Most FGs Made In Game 7s
| PLAYER | FGM | G | ||
| Jerry West | 104 | 9 | ||
| Sam Jones | 100 | 9 | ||
| Elgin Baylor | 98 | 9 | ||
| LeBron James | 91 | 8 | ||
| Wilt Chamberlain | 87 | 9 | ||
| Larry Bird | 77 | 8 | ||
| Bill Russell | 68 | 10 | ||
| Patrick Ewing | 66 | 7 | ||
| Stephen Curry | 64 | 6 | ||
| 2 tied | 63 | 7 | ||
Most 3PM In Game 7s
| PLAYER | 3PM | G | ||
| Stephen Curry | 32 | 6 | ||
| Jayson Tatum | 23 | 7 | ||
| Ray Allen | 22 | 11 | ||
| Kevin Durant | 21 | 5 | ||
| Danny Ainge | 18 | 9 | ||
| LeBron James | 16 | 8 | ||
| Draymond Green | 15 | 6 | ||
| Paul Pierce | 15 | 10 | ||
| JJ Redick | 15 | 6 | ||
| Klay Thompson | 15 | 5 | ||
Triple-doubles in Game 7
Nikola Jokic finishes with a triple-double (21 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists) as the Nuggets hang on in Game 7 to advance to the second round.
| DATE | PLAYER | ROUND | TEAMS | STATS |
| May 5, 1969 | Jerry West | NBA Finals | Lakers vs. Celtics | 42 PTS, 13 REB, 12 AST |
| May 13, 1984 | Larry Bird | Conference Semis | Celtics vs. Knicks | 39 PTS, 12 REB, 10 AST |
| June 21, 1988 | James Worthy | NBA Finals | Lakers vs. Pistons | 36 PTS, 16 REB, 10 AST |
| May 17, 1992 | Scottie Pippen | Conference Semis | Bulls vs. Knicks | 17 PTS, 11 REB, 11 AST |
| May 15, 2011 | Russell Westbrook | Conference Semis | Thunder vs. Grizzlies | 14 PTS, 10 REB, 14 AST |
| May 26, 2012 | Rajon Rondo | Conference Semis | Celtics vs. 76ers | 18 PTS, 10 REB, 10 AST |
| June 9, 2012 | Rajon Rondo | Conference Finals | Celtics at Heat | 22 PTS, 10 REB, 14 AST |
| May 3, 2014 | Russell Westbrook | First Round | Thunder vs. Grizzlies | 27 PTS, 10 REB, 16 AST |
| May 2, 2015 | Blake Griffin | First Round | Clippers vs. Spurs | 24 PTS, 13 REB, 10 AST |
| June 19, 2016 | LeBron James | NBA Finals | Cavaliers at Warriors | 27 PTS, 11 REB, 11 AST |
| April 27, 2019 | Nikola Jokić | First Round | Nuggets vs. Spurs | 21 PTS, 15 REB, 10 AST |
| Sept. 2, 2020 | Chris Paul | First Round | Thunder at Rockets | 19 PTS, 11 REB, 12 AST |
| Sept. 15, 2020 | Nikola Jokić | Conference Semis | Nuggets at Clippers | 16 PTS, 22 REB, 13 AST |
Player and coach appearances in Game 7s
Between the two of them, Wilt Chamberlain (right) and Bill Russell appeared in a combined 19 Game 7s in their career.
Most Game 7s Played
| PLAYER | GAMES |
| Ray Allen | 11 |
| Al Horford | 10 |
| Paul Pierce | 10 |
| Bill Russell | 10 |
| Danny Ainge | 9 |
| Elgin Baylor | 9 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 9 |
| Robert Horry | 9 |
| Dennis Johnson | 9 |
| Joe Johnson | 9 |
| Sam Jones | 9 |
| Robert Parish | 9 |
| Wes Unseld | 9 |
| Jerry West | 9 |
Most Game 7s Won
| PLAYER | WINS |
| Bill Russell | 10 |
| Sam Jones | 9 |
| Ray Allen | 7 |
| Tom Heinsohn | 7 |
| Al Horford | 7 |
| Robert Horry | 7 |
| Dennis Johnson | 7 |
| Danny Ainge | 6 |
| Larry Bird | 6 |
| Jaylen Brown | 6 |
| Sam Cassell | 6 |
| Bob Cousy | 6 |
| Derek Fisher | 6 |
| John Havlicek | 6 |
| LeBron James | 6 |
| K.C. Jones | 6 |
| Kevin McHale | 6 |
| Robert Parish | 6 |
| Frank Ramsey | 6 |
| Marcus Smart | 6 |
| Wes Unseld | 6 |
Most Game 7s Won Without A Loss
| PLAYER | WINS |
| Bill Russell | 10 |
| Sam Jones | 9 |
| Tom Heinsohn | 7 |
| Bob Cousy | 6 |
| Derek Fisher | 6 |
| K.C. Jones | 6 |
| Frank Ramsey | 6 |
| Raja Bell | 5 |
| Jim Loscutoff | 5 |
| Satch Sanders | 5 |
Most Game 7s Coached
| COACH | GAMES | ||
| Doc Rivers | 16 | ||
| Pat Riley | 11 | ||
| Larry Brown | 10 | ||
| Phil Jackson | 9 | ||
| Red Auerbach | 8 | ||
| K.C. Jones | 8 | ||
| Erik Spoelstra | 8 | ||
| George Karl | 7 | ||
| Dick Motta | 7 | ||
| Don Nelson | 7 | ||
| Gregg Popovich | 7 | ||
Most points in a Game 7 (non-NBA Finals)
Steph Curry delivers with 50 points — the most in any Game 7 in NBA history — to lead the Warriors past the Kings and into the West semifinals.
| PLAYER | PTS | TEAM (OPPONENT) | DATE | ROUND | |||
| Jayson Tatum | 51 | Boston Celtics (vs. Philadelphia 76ers) | May 14, 2023 | Conference Semifinals | |||
| Stephen Curry | 50 | Golden State Warriors (at Sacramento Kings) | April 30, 2023 | First Round | |||
| Kevin Durant | 48 | Brooklyn Nets (vs. Milwaukee Bucks) (OT) | June 19, 2021 | Conference Semifinals | |||
| Sam Jones | 47 | Boston Celtics (vs. Cincinnati Royals) | April 10, 1963 | Division Finals | |||
| Dominique Wilkins | 47 | Atlanta Hawks (at Boston Celtics) | May 22, 1988 | Conference Semifinals | |||
| Kevin Johnson | 46 | Phoenix Suns (vs. Houston Rockets) | May 20, 1995 | Conference Semifinals | |||
| Luka Dončić | 46 | Dallas Mavericks (at LA Clippers) | June 6, 2021 | First Round | |||
| LeBron James | 45 | Cleveland Cavaliers (at Boston Celtics) | May 18, 2008 | Conference Semifinals | |||
| LeBron James | 45 | Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. Indiana Pacers) | April 29, 2018 | First Round | |||
| Charles Barkley | 44 | Phoenix Suns (vs. Seattle SuperSonics) | June 5, 1993 | Conference Finals | |||
| Allen Iverson | 44 | Philadelphia 76ers (vs. Milwaukee Bucks) | June 3, 2001 | Conference Finals | |||
Most points in a Game 7 (NBA Finals)
Jerry West was a 12-time All-NBA performer who knew how to elevate his game when the lights shined the brightest.
| PLAYER | PTS | TEAM (OPPONENT) | DATE | |||
| Jerry West | 42 | Los Angeles Lakers (vs. Boston Celtics) | May 5, 1969 | |||
| Elgin Baylor | 41 | Los Angeles Lakers (at Boston Celtics) (OT) | April 18, 1962 | |||
| Bob Pettit | 39 | St. Louis Hawks (at Boston Celtics) (2 OT) | April 13, 1957 | |||
| Tom Heinsohn | 37 | Boston Celtics (vs. St. Louis Hawks) (2 OT) | April 13, 1957 | |||
| LeBron James | 37 | Miami Heat (vs. San Antonio Spurs) | June 20, 2013 | |||
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