Take a look back at some great Game 7 plays in NBA history.
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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