Ranking 10 Lowest Scoring Games in NBA History

Lowest-scoring NBA games are rare to witness these days due to players going for three-point hauls from the shooting arc. That's why the players usually stay away from going in the paint against the defenders directly. When the current 24-second shot clock was not inducted into the rules of the game, the scoring games were quite rare. That's why, before the application of this rule in 1954, the players used to hold the ball or dribble with it for a long time. Ultimately, scoring a bucket took time, and most of the time, the ball belonged to the hands of the players.

Other contributing factors include:

Slower Game Pace: Today, the players have the ability to immediately curate a game just after the bucket is scored. But the old times in the NBA were not like that since the teams used to focus on half-court offense.

Physical Defense: The teams used to have big centers in the NBA that had a tendency to aggressive defense in the league. Overall big sized players used to give fewer opportunities for open shots.

Rule Differences: The three-point scoring rule was not introduced until 1979 in the NBA. That's why scoring before that period, that too in the paint, was extremely difficult.

10 Lowest Scoring NBA Games

The defensive style of play in the NBA did not let the opponents score large numbers of points. It stalled the whole offense to go for a run-and-gun style of play that present NBA squads go for in the NBA. However, that golden period of the NBA has given away some of the lowest scoring games in NBA history. We have curated the top 10 for the readers:

10. Philadelphia Warriors vs. Pittsburgh Ironmen (53-46)

• Date: December 26, 1946
• Total Points: 99
• Top Scorer: Joe Fulks (Philadelphia Warriors) – 22 points

The Pittsburgh Ironmen were just a charter team that played a single season in the Basketball Association of America (BAA). It was a cross-state showdown in which the Warriors entered with a 10–8 record while the Pittsburgh Ironmen had a 7–16 record. Eventually, the Warriors won the match with the following star performers.

9. Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks (52-46)

• Date: January 25, 1947
• Total Points: 98
• Top Scorer: Al Brightman (Boston Celtics) – 17 points

Boston Celtics, at that time, met the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden III in New York City. Eventually, the Celts had won the game, putting up 52-46 on the scoreboard. Al Brightman and Connie Simmons were the reasons that the Celtics clinched the victory since both of them were the highest performers of the night.

8. Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks (49-48)

• Date: February 6, 1947
• Total Points: 97
• Top Scorer: Connie Simons (Boston Celtics) – 14 points

The January 25 game in 1947 was already one of the lowest scoring games between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. However, after about two weeks, these teams set another milestone as both of them could only score 97 points together. The match took place in the home arena of the Celts, where they won with a 49-48 scorecard on the board. The Knicks could not even muster a double-digit from any player, while Connie Simons was helped by Charlie Hoefer and Jerry Kelly to secure double-digit points in the game.

7. Cleveland Rebels vs. Detroit Falcons (49-47)

• Date: December 1, 1946
• Total Points: 96
• Top Scorer: Dick Schulz (Cleveland Rebels) – 12 points

Cleveland Rebels and the Detroit Falcons were the early clubs of pro basketball that delivered one of the lowest scoring games in NBA history. The teams could only put up 49-47 on the scoreboard which seems to be usual in that era. Ultimately, the Rebels won the showdown due to the performance of their star performer Dick Schulz scoring 12 points during the game.

6. Boston Celtics vs. Pittsburgh Ironmen (48-43)

• Date: January 23, 1946
• Total Points: 91
• Top Scorer: Colby Gunther (Pittsburgh Ironmen) – 14 points

It seems like Boston Celtics was always involved in the low scoring games in the early era of the NBA. That's why when they faced the Pittsburgh Ironmen in the regular season, both teams could only score 91 points together. Yet the Ironmen players were more offensive since Coulby Gunther and Stan Noszka tallied 14 and 13 points, respectively. On the other hand, the bench strength of the Celts put up more points to secure the game in their favor.

5. Boston Celtics vs. Pittsburgh Ironmen (46-44)

• Date: December 2, 1946
• Total Points: 89
• Top Scorer: Al Brightman (Boston Celtics) – 12 points

It was another day and another one of the lowest-scoring games between the Boston Celtics and Pittsburgh Ironmen. Both the Celtics(3-11) and the Ironmen(4-10) team were on a losing streak that season. Al Brightman led the game with his 12 points due to which Celts won the game. However, Harry Zeller was the star of the night, scoring 11 points on a 100% FG percentage.

4. Washington Capitols vs. Pittsburgh Ironmen (49-40)

• Date: November 30, 1946
• Total Points: 89
• Top Scorer: Bob Feerick (Washington Capitols) – 14 points

Both of these teams clashed against each other on November 30, 1946, at the Uline Arena. According to the records, it was the second-ever game and only fourth-ever to date to combine for below 90 points. The Capitols won the match, putting up 49-40 on the scorecard. Most of the points for the winning side came from Bob Feerick, who scored 14 points. Not a single player on the Pittsburgh team could score in double digits.

3. Boston Celtics vs. Washington Capitols (47-38)

• Date: January 16, 1947
• Total Points: 85
• Top Scorer: Fred Scolari (Washington Capitols) – 17 points

The Capitols were on a winning streak with a 24-7 record in the league. However, the Celts turned the tables with their performance winning the game by 47-38 record. Notably, Fred Scolari of the Capitols scored the highest 17 points, but it was not enough for the victory. On the other end, the whole roster of the Celtics contributed to the win.

2. Washington Capitols vs. Detroit Falcons (50-33)

• Date: November 2, 1946
• Total Points: 83
• Top Scorer: Bob Feerick, Fred Scolari (Capitols) – 14 points

This showdown took place during the BAA era, in which the Falcons could not match the intensity of the Washington Capitals. Three players from the winning end of Capitols scored double-digit points. These were Bob Feerick, Fred Scolari(14 points), and Bones McKinney(11 Points). Ultimately, the game ended with a scorecard of 50-33.

1. Fort Wayne Pistons vs. Minneapolis Lakers (19-18)

• Date: November 22, 1950
• Total Points: 37
• Top Scorer: George Mikan (Lakers) – 15 points

The lowest-scoring game in NBA history happened between the Fort Wayne Pistons and Minneapolis Lakers on November 22, 1950. It was lower than its predecessor games with a score of only 19-18 on the board. Both teams managed to put up 37 combined points. The Pistons were trying to stall the game down to tackle the Lakers' star George Mikan. Yet the latter managed to score 15 of the Lakers' 18 points. Notably, it was one of the prime reasons that the league introduced the 24-second shot clock in the NBA in 1954.