Photo by Andy Jacobs/ NBAE/ Getty Images
In honor of Pascal Siakam’s recent big night in the Big Apple, we looked back in time for our top-five favorite performances in MSG
On Wednesday night, to simultaneously end both his team’s six-game losing streak and his opponent’s eight-game win streak, Pascal Siakam thought it wise to deliver a career-high 52-point outing in the iconic Madison Square Garden.
Along with concluding the Toronto Raptors’ skid, Siakam became the latest superstar to pen a masterpiece at a venue that has now become famous for its scoring outbursts. So, in honor of Siakam’s achievement, we figured we’d take a look back at the five greatest scoring displays ever to take place at Madison Square Garden.
5. Bernard King Gets Festive
With the holiday season in full swing, it would be an abhorrent omission to leave out Bernard King’s Christmas scoring extravaganza. Almost 38 years ago to this day, King delivered not only one of the best Garden performances ever, but also one of the all-time great Christmas Day showcasings.
Against the East Coast rival New Jersey Nets, King delivered 60 points in only 30 shots from the floor. This was ultimately a losing effort, but still incredibly memorable, nonetheless.
4. Stephen Curry goes Stephen Curry Mode, Before we Knew that was a Thing
Before the rings, the MVP awards, the all-time rankings leaderboards, even before his first All-Star nomination (which came the following season), Stephen Curry had his eruption at the Garden.
On February 27, 2013, the man once dubbed the “Baby-Faced Assassin” completed his passage into NBA adulthood with a 54-point shooting expedition against the New York Knicks. During that outing, the greatest shooter ever made 11 of his 13 threes, giving him the most three-pointers of any player in our countdown.
3. The Mamba Delivers his Revenge Against the Knicks
With a whopping 17 NBA Championships, the Los Angeles Lakers are the winningest franchise in league history. Yet, somehow the Knicks and the illustrious Madison Square Garden are viewed as the mecca of basketball.
A notoriously fierce competitor throughout his playing career, it is likely that this fact infuriated Kobe Bryant. And that rage was enough to fuel his 61-point tirade (the highest-scoring output of anyone on this list) on a chilly February night in 2009.
In typical Bryant fashion, his Lakers also secured the victory, and the Mamba was greeted with “MVP!” chants by the Garden crowd. Only Bryant (and Rocky Balboa) could turn a home team’s fans against them.
2. LeBron James went off at the Garden, and then he did it again
On March 5, 2008 (just one day before Shaq’s 36th birthday), LeBron James came just short of a 50-point triple-double, unleashing 50 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds on the Knicks in a 119-105 victory. James, still solidifying himself as the best player on the planet, did what he needed to do – authored an eruption at the Garden.
However, that wasn’t enough for James and his insatiable appetite for success. Not even one year later (and only two days after Bryant’s 61-piece), on February 4, 2009, James topped his previous performance with a stat line of 54 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds. He still couldn’t get the illustrious 50-point triple-double, but his Cleveland Cavaliers did collect the win.
1. Michael Jordan Reminds the World that he’s Still the Greatest Player Alive
When Michael Jordan abruptly returned from his year and half long hiatus in the tail end of the 1994-95 season, he wasn’t quite the same divine force that catapulted the Chicago Bulls to three straight titles from 1991 to 1993. Through his first four games, he averaged 24.8 PPG, but on a highly inefficient (even at that time) 39.4% from the floor.
Then, he made his first return back to the Garden since the 1993 Playoffs, and the rest was history.
Michael Jordan | “Double Nickel Game”
Jordan scored 20 points in the first quarter, hitting nine of his 11 shots. Jordan finished for 55 against the Knicks
Chicago Bulls vs New York Knicks
March 28, 1995
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY#NBA #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/VlUNwGgO1U
— The Jordan Rules (@Rules23Jordan) November 19, 2022
The game is known now as Jordan’s “Double Nickel” performance because he scored 55 points to narrowly escape the Knicks 113-111.
Given how popular Jordan was at the time, the prospect of him having lost a step after his baseball sabbatical was worrisome, so for him to squash those fears in this arena, in this fashion, makes it the most iconic Garden scoring performance of them all.
