Highest-scoring All-Star Games: Breaking down the record for most points scored in NBA event

Scott Rafferty

Highest-scoring All-Star Games: Breaking down the record for most points scored in NBA event image

Every year, the biggest names in the NBA face off in the All-Star Game.

As you might expect, putting 24 of the best players in the league on the same court can lead to some high-scoring affairs.

The All-Star Game doesn't have much of a history of high-scoring individual games, but the pick-up game is known for its dunks, 3-pointers and, well, porous defense. It's not unusual for teams to crack 150 points in the 48-minute contest. A few teams have even flirted with scoring 200 points over the years.

The scoring is only getting greater. Eight of the 10 highest-scoring games in All-Star history have come in the last decade. The 2024 matchup saw the Eastern Conference score 104 points in the first half, tying an All-Star Game record. That turned out to be a taste of what was to come.

The Sporting News takes a closer look at the highest-scoring games in All-Star history.

MORE: Who has scored the most points in an NBA All-Star Game?

What is the highest-scoring game in NBA All-Star history?

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game set a new record with a combined score of 397.

The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference by a final score of 211-186. Karl-Anthony Towns led all scorers with 50 points while three players on the Eastern Conference (Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard and Jaylen Brown) scored 30 or more points.

The previous record was 374 points, set in 2017 when the West defeated the East 192-182.

Here are the 10 highest-scoring games in All-Star history:

Rank Combined score Teams Year
1. 397 East 211, West 186 2024
2. 374 West 192, East 182 2017
3. 369 West 196, East 173 2016
4. 342 Team LeBron 178, Team Giannis 164 2019
5. 323 Team LeBron 163, Team Durant 160 2022
6. 321 West 163, East 158 2015
7. 320 Team LeBron 170, Team Durant 150 2021
8. 318 East 163, West 155 2014
9. 303 West 154, East 149 (OT) 1987
10. 300 West 155, East 145 (2OT) 2003

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.