Donovan Mitchell's History-Making Game: Who Were Other Players To Break 70 Points?

Donovan Mitchell is experiencing a career resurgence with the Cleveland Cavaliers this season, and it all came to a head when the former Utah Jazz star dropped 71 points in a 145-134 win over the Chicago Bulls.

With Mitchell's all-time great performance, he has become only the sixth player in NBA history to log 70 markers in a single game.

Here are the other NBA stars who were able to reach the plateau of legendary status when it comes to scoring the ball.

Wilt Chamberlain

The name itself is already enough to conjure images and thoughts of what it would have been like to experience watching Wilt Chamberlain in the flesh at the peak of his powers, but to see his name in the official record books five times is simply the stuff of legends.

His 100-point scoring game in 1962 is recognized by fans as the only record in the NBA that might never again be topped.

However, he also has the honor of being the only player in league history to do it multiple times.

While many would argue that Michael Jordan is an icon that many would want to emulate, Chamberlain is the "Loch Ness Monster," a mythical freak of nature that will likely never be seen again—except in archival footage.

Kobe Bryant

Another iconic performance in the outstanding career of Kobe Bryant, little else needs to be said about the Los Angeles Laker star's January 22, 2006 dismantling of the Toronto Raptors with his 81-point outburst.

It appeared to be another mundane night for a Lakers franchise that was coming off a fall from grace the previous season as they finished the 2004-2005 season as the No. 11 in the Western Conference–their worst mark at the time.

The Lakers entered the second half trailing by 17 points and Bryant himself with 26 of the Lakers' 49 points.

Then the magic happened as Bryant started firing on all cylinders and led the Lakers to a win while breaking Elgin Baylor's long-standing franchise scoring record plus being the closest anyone has ever gotten to Chamberlain's century-mark.

David Thompson

The Denver Nuggets may be known for having Nikola Jokic as their main man on the squad, but for six seasons, David "Skywalker" Thompson was the darling in the Mile High City.

In his third NBA season, which was the 1977-78 season, Thompson had the best scoring game of his life with a 73-point outing against the Detroit Pistons on April 9, 1978–making 28 of his 38 field goal attempts.

"It was the end of a long season and some of the guys didn't really play that day and I didn't really know if I wanted to play. Prior to the game, [Nuggets head coach] Larry Brown asked me if I wanted to go for the scoring title," Thompson said in a 2021 interview.

"I only found out I had 53 points at halftime. They didn't want me to go for 100, so they had two or three guys on me. It was really difficult."

David Robinson

The San Antonio Spurs legend was not only known for his massive muscles and defensive presence inside the paint, but also for his 71-point outing against the Los Angeles Clippers in the final game of the 1993-94 regular season.

David Robinson, better known as "The Admiral," had been in contention with Orlando Magic big man Shaquille O'Neal for the scoring record that season and the latter was on pace to win the scoring title with 2,345 points to his name while the former trailed him by 33.

Both men had games to play that day and the Spurs knew this fact entering the game, making it known that they were out to help their franchise cornerstone secure the scoring title then.

Before anyone knew, Robinson reached 71 points and stole away the title from O'Neal by six points who only had 32 points in his own outing.

Elgin Baylor

The Los Angeles Lakers have been blessed with a ton of major names entering their hallowed halls, and Elgin Baylor is chief among them.

On November 15, 1960, Baylor was simply a machine as he torched the New York Knicks with a monster double-double of 71 points and 25 rebound.

Though he never went on to win an NBA Championship, Baylor's name still remains as one of the most revered in league history despite archival footage of his game being unavailable on the internet.

Donovan Mitchell

The newest man on the block, Donovan Mitchell had been a key cog in the Cleveland Cavaliers' chase of greatness this season since they traded for him in the offseason.

Cleveland were without the services of main point guard Darius Garland and big man Evan Mobley, so it was up to Mitchell to carry the offense and how he did it was simply amazing.

The Chicago Bulls built a massive lead on the heads of the Cavaliers, and it appeared as if they were on the way to an easy win until Mitchell caught fire in the second half and even sent the game to overtime in a spectacular reverse and-one play.

Not only did Mitchell score 71 points and break the Cavaliers' scoring record, but he also had a near triple-double with eight rebounds and 11 assists to his name.

Devin Booker

The Phoenix Suns had been miring in mediocrity for much of the 2010s until a savior arrived in the form of Devin Booker.

While he was still viewed as the "sharpshooter from the University of Kentucky," March 24, 2017 would change all of that.

Against a Boston Celtics squad that was hoping to make a big splash in the postseason, Booker put the entire Suns' offense on his back as he repeatedly redressed their counterpart's defense with all kinds of tricks.

Booker would eventually break the Suns' single-game scoring record once held by Tom Chambers and earned his 70th point off a free throw, with barely a smile on his face.

At 21 years old then, he also earned the distinction of being the youngest to ever score 70 points in NBA history, cementing his place as the Suns' undisputed cornerstone.