Since the 1963–64 season, there have been only 31 regular-season games in which a single player scored at least 60 points. Over that same span of time, the total number of games played in the NBA is 47,596. In one sense, then, when it comes to 60-point games, Charlotte’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is a very lucky man.
The second-year Bobcats forward was the primary defender on Carmelo Anthony when the Knicks’ star went for 62 on Jan. 24 at Madison Square Garden. And last night, when LeBron James lit up American Airlines Arena to the tune of 61, the man matched up against him for much of the night was—you guessed it—MKG.
So, twice in 2014, Kidd-Gilchrist has had the best seats in the house for an event that has only occurred in 0.065 percent of regular-season games over the last half century. If I was capable of calculating the odds of another player ever recreating MKG’s feat, I bet they would be very long indeed.
Both James and Anthony made history against Kidd-Gilchrist and the Bobcats. Each superstar posted a career high and set both franchise and arena records. LeBron shot 66.7 percent from the floor, which is good for the fourth-best field-goal percentage ever in a 60-point game. Anthony’s 65.7 percent is fifth.
You can compare the two nights any number of ways without being able to label a clear “winner.” LeBron was more efficient, but Melo scored more and did it in less time—38:39 to James’s 41:12. LeBron went 8-of-10 from behind the arc (the most threes and highest percentage ever in a 60-point game) to Melo’s 6-of-11, but he made only 9-of-12 free throws while Melo was a perfect 10-of-10. LeBron had five assists, but Melo had 13 boards and on and on and on.
Below, we’ve offered yet another method of comparison, displaying both players’ makes and misses on the same court. Take a look and tell us who you think won. Just keep one more thing in mind: Melo’s 62-point showing pulled the Knicks within two games of the Bobcats in the Eastern Conference standings. After LeBron’s 61-point night, the Heat are ahead of Charlotte by 17.5.
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