NBA Play-In Tournament records: Full list of points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks leaders

Gilbert McGregor

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NBA Play-In Tournament records: Full list of points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks leaders image

Statistical records are an important part of professional sports, and the NBA is no exception.

Historically, the NBA has separated stats into two categories: regular season and NBA Playoffs. In 2020, a third statistical designation was introduced when the NBA instituted a Play-In Tournament for teams to compete for the final spots in the NBA Playoffs.

The Play-In Tournament adopted its current format in 2021, but since its inception, one thing was made clear: rather than counting toward stats tabulated during the regular season or the NBA Playoffs, Play-In stats stand alone independently.

With that in mind, have a look at the statistical leaders through the first three years of the NBA's Play-In Tournament.

Click to jump to a section: Single-game records | All-time leaders | Top averages

NBA Play-In Tournament single-game records

Points: 50 – Jayson Tatum (2021)

Rebounds: 23 – Jonas Valanciunas (2021)

Assists: 15 – Russell Westbrook (2021)

Steals: 5 – Gary Trent Jr. (2020), Kent Bazemore (2021)

Blocks: 5 – Daniel Gafford (2021), Jakob Poeltl (2021), Nic Claxton (2022)

MORE: Latest standings, seeds and potential matchups in NBA Playoff picture

NBA Play-In Tournament all-time leaders

Games played

Rank Player GP Record
1. Jonas Valanciunas 5 4-1
2.  C.J. McCollum 3 3-0
  Kyle Anderson 3 2-1
  Dillon Brooks 3 2-1
  De'Anthony Melton 3 2-1
  Ja Morant 3 2-1

Total points

Rank Player PTS Games
1. Ja Morant 90 3
2. Jonas Valanciunas 84 5
3. C.J. McCollum 80 3
4. Stephen Curry 76 2
5. Trae Young 62 2

Total rebounds

Rank Player REB Games
1. Jonas Valanciunas 77 5
2. Domantas Sabonis 32 2
3. Clint Capela 25 2
  Draymond Green 25 2
5. Larry Nance Jr. 24 2

Total assists

Rank Player AST Games
1. Russell Westbrook 20 2
  Trae Young 20 2
  Ja Morant 20 3
4. Domantas Sabonis 19 2
5. Draymond Green 18 2

Total steals

Rank Player STL Games
1. Kent Bazemore 7 2
2. T.J. McConnell 6 2
3. Gary Trent Jr. 5 1
  Darius Garland 5 2
  Lauri Markkanen 5 2
  Ja Morant 5 3

Total blocks

Rank Player BLK Games
1. Daniel Gafford 7 2
  Kyle Anderson 7 3
3. Jakob Poeltl 6 2
4. Nic Claxton 5 1
  Jonas Valanciunas 5 3

NBA Play-In Tournament leaders

Points per game

Rank Player PPG GP
1. Jayson Tatum 50.0 1
2. Stephen Curry 38.0 2
3. Paul George 34.0 1
  Kyrie Irving 34.0 1
5 Trae Young 31.0 2
  Damian Lillard 31.0 1

Rebounds per game

Rank Player RPG GP
1. Jusuf Nurkic 21.0 1
2. Domantas Sabonis 16.0 2
3. Jonas Valanciunas 15.4 5
4. Clint Capela 12.5 2
  Draymond Green 12.5 2

Assists per game

Rank Player APG GP
1. Kyrie Irving 12.0 1
2. Kevin Durant 11.0 1
3. Trae Young 10.0 2
  Russell Westbrook 10.0 2
  LeBron James 10.0 1
  Damian Lillard 10.0 1

Steals per game

Rank Player SPG GP
1. Gary Trent Jr. 5.0 1
2. Kent Bazemore 3.5 2
3. T.J. McConnell 3.0 2
  Bruce Brown 3.0 1
  Alex Caruso 3.0 1
  Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 3.0 1
  Paul George 3.0 1
  D'Angelo Russell 3.0 1

Blocks per game

Rank Player SPG GP
1. Nic Claxton 5.0 1
2. Daniel Gafford 3.5 2
3. Jakob Poeltl 3.0 2
  Kevin Durant 3.0 1
5. Kyle Anderson 2.3 3

Why NBA Play-In Tournament stats don't impact regular season, NBA Playoff numbers

The NBA Play-In Tournament takes place "after the regular season and before the first round of the playoffs," per NBA.com.

Play-In Tournament stats can't be applied to the regular season because it has already concluded, but they also aren't added to postseason totals because Play-In teams haven't officially qualified for the NBA Playoffs.

NBA Play-In Tournament history

2020

Game Result Reward
No. 8 (Trail Blazers) vs. No. 9 (Grizzlies) Trail Blazers 126, Grizzlies 122 No. 8 seed

2021

Western Conference
Game Result Reward
No. 7 (Lakers) vs. No. 8 (Warriors) Lakers 103, Warriors 100 No. 7 seed
No. 9 (Grizzlies vs. No. 10 (Spurs) Grizzlies 100, Spurs 96 Advance
No. 8 (Warriors) vs. No. 9 (Grizzlies) Grizzlies 117, Warriors 112 (OT) No. 8 seed

 

Eastern Conference
Game Result Reward
No. 7 (Celtics) vs. No. 8 (Wizards) Celtics 118, Wizards 100 No. 7 seed
No. 9 (Pacers) vs. No. 10 (Hornets) Pacers 144, Hornets 117 Advance
No. 8 (Wizards) vs. No. 9 (Pacers) Wizards 142, Pacers 115 No. 8 seed

2022

Western Conference
Game Result Reward
No. 7 (Timberwolves) vs. No. 8 (Clippers) Timberwolves 109, Clippers 104 No. 7 seed
No. 9 (Pelicans) vs. No. 10 (Spurs) Pelicans 113, Spurs 103 Advance
No. 8 (Clippers) vs. No. 9 (Pelicans) Pelicans 105, Clippers 101 No. 8 seed

 

Eastern Conference
Game Result Reward
No. 7 (Nets) vs. No. 8 (Cavaliers) Nets 115, Cavaliers 108 No. 7 seed
No. 9 (Hawks) vs. No. 10 (Hornets) Hawks 132, Hornets 103 Advance
No. 8 (Cavaliers) vs. No. 9 (Hawks) Hawks 107, Cavaliers 101 No. 8 seed

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.