NBA approaching record following Holiday's 50-point outing

Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

NBA approaching record scoring mark following Jrue Holiday's 50-point outing

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 3/29/23

This NBA season has seen its fair share of monumental scoring efforts, and if the trend continues, the league is on pace to shatter a long-standing mark.

On Wednesday night, Jrue Holiday posted the 24th 50-point game of the 2022-23 NBA season, and according to ESPN Stats and Info, that's the most leaguewide since 1962-63, when there were 34.

Jrue Holiday (32-290d) becomes the oldest player in Bucks history to record a 50-point game.

This is the 24th 50-point game leaguewide this season, the most in a single season since 1962-63 (34) pic.twitter.com/u1jGUs8LaX
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 30, 2023

Holiday finished with a game-high 51 points, shooting 20-of-30 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, in the Bucks' 149-136 win over the Indiana Pacers.

At 32, Holiday became the oldest player in Bucks' history to score 50 or more points in a game.

Holiday is now the second Bucks player to reach the 50-point mountain top, joining Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has three such outings this season.

The Bucks are one of only two teams in the NBA with multiple 50-point scorers, with the Golden State Warriors being the other, thanks to Steph Curry (2x) and Klay Thompson.

This season, 14 different players have surpassed the 50-point mark. So far, six players have done so multiple times, including Curry (50, 50), Joel Embiid (53, 59), Devin Booker (58, 51), Antetokounmpo (54, 50, 55), Damian Lillard (71, 60, 50) and Luka Doncic (53, 51, 60, 50).

The NBA is in the midst of an offensive explosion, and there appears to be no end in sight. The average points per game in the NBA has risen to 114.6 for the 2022-23 season, four points higher than the 2021-22 campaign and nearly 10 points more than the average a decade ago (101.0).

More must-reads: