What is the biggest win in basketball history? The most lopsided scores ever

Basketball history has witnessed many games with incredibly lopsided scorelines, sometimes with winning margins reaching 50 points or more. These games are not only remembered for the records they set, but also for the overwhelming dominance displayed by the winning teams. In this article, BasketScores answers the question: What is the biggest win in basketball history?

What is the biggest win in basketball history?

List updated as of May 2026.

1. Memphis Grizzlies 152-79 Oklahoma City Thunder

The game with the largest winning margin in NBA history took place in 2021. In this matchup, the Memphis Grizzlies were missing star player Ja Morant, yet they still secured an astonishing victory. Nine Grizzlies players scored at least 10 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the team with 27 points in only 20 minutes of playing time. Memphis shot 62.5% from the field, compared to Oklahoma City’s 32.9%.

This 73-point victory broke the previous NBA record, which had stood for 30 years after the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Miami Heat by 68 points in 1991. At one stage in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies led by as many as 78 points. It remains the largest margin of victory in NBA history.

Rookie Santi Aldama finished the game with a +52 plus-minus rating in just 28 minutes, one of the highest individual plus-minus figures ever recorded in a single NBA game.

2. Denver Nuggets 121-63 New Orleans Hornets

This game took place in 2009 during the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The New Orleans Hornets committed 26 turnovers, allowing Denver to score 34 points directly from those mistakes. Carmelo Anthony delivered an explosive performance with 26 points in just 29 minutes. The victory gave the Nuggets a 3-1 lead in the series, which they eventually won 4-1.

Meanwhile, this is widely considered one of the worst games of Chris Paul’s career. He finished with only 4 points and 6 assists while committing 6 turnovers. His plus-minus rating was -38. For the Hornets, the defeat remains one of the most humiliating losses in franchise history, especially because it happened on their home court.

3. Minneapolis Lakers 133-75 St. Louis Hawks

Despite taking place more than 70 years ago, this game still shares the record for the largest margin in NBA Playoff history, alongside Denver’s win in 2009. Hall of Fame players such as Slater Martin, who scored 19 points, and Clyde Lovellette, who added 15, played key roles in the victory.

The 58-point margin stood alone as the playoff record for 53 years before the Denver Nuggets matched it. To this day, these two games remain the biggest playoff blowouts in NBA history. Interestingly, despite this dominant victory, the Minneapolis Lakers eventually lost the best-of-three series 2-1 to the St. Louis Hawks.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers 148-80 Miami Heat

This game, played in 1991, held the record for the biggest blowout in NBA history for three decades. Eight Cavaliers players scored in double figures, with Mark Price and John Battle leading the team with 18 points each. Cleveland’s bench alone scored 76 points, almost matching Miami’s total score of 80.

The Miami Heat suffered one of the worst performances in franchise history. They committed 23 turnovers and shot just 35.9% from the field. In addition, the Heat allowed Cleveland to record 39 assists, far above the league average at the time, which was around 22-25 assists per game.

5. Maccabi Tel Aviv 118-74 Real Madrid

This remains one of the most memorable matches in EuroLeague history. At the time, Real Madrid were considered the dominant force in European basketball, featuring legends such as Lolo Sainz and several other elite players but losing by 44 points was a massive shock.

The victory helped Maccabi Tel Aviv establish themselves as one of Europe’s strongest clubs rather than merely a competitive outsider. Despite this heavy defeat, Real Madrid still went on to win the EuroLeague title that season in 1978 after defeating Mobilgirgi Varese in the final. Maccabi eventually finished third overall.

6. On the sidelines: South Korea 120-20 Iraq

One of the biggest winning margins ever recorded in international basketball took place at the 1990 Asian Games in China. South Korea defeated Iraq by an astonishing 100 points. Iraq scoring only 20 points in an entire international game remains an extremely rare statistic and highlighted the enormous gap between the two teams.

During the 1990s, South Korea were one of the strongest basketball nations in Asia, known for their fast-paced style and excellent long-range shooting. Iraqi basketball, meanwhile, struggled with limited investment and development because of political and economic difficulties at the time. Despite this dominant victory, South Korea eventually finished with the Bronze Medal after losing to China and the Philippines later in the tournament.

BasketScores has just answered the question: What is the biggest win in basketball history?, while also reviewing some of the most dominant victories ever recorded in the sport. To learn more about future basketball news, click on the link to our page.