Oldest players to score 30-plus points in NBA playoff game
MILWAUKEE (BVM) – In Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals series between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, the Celtics’ Al Horford had a career best performance. Horford scored a postseason career-high 30 points to go along with eight rebounds, three assists and one block in Boston’s 116-108 victory at Fiserv Forum. The 30-point outing was the first time Horford scored 30 or more points in a postseason game in his career, going a record 131 games before reaching the plateau, becoming the second oldest Celtic to ever score 30-plus points in a game joining John Havlicek who did so at age 37.
According to @EliasSports, Al Horford's 131 career playoff games before his first 30-point outing are 41 more than any other player in NBA history.
Clifford Robinson played 90 playoff games before his first 30-point performance.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 10, 2022
Given his signature playoff performance at his age, 35 years and 340 days, it raises the question of other players who have beaten Father Time to perform so admirably in the postseason. Amazingly, Horford’s Game 4 heroics don’t even touch the top 10.
Author’s note: Players can only have one spot on this list, so if a player has multiple occurrences of scoring more than 30 points, their performance at their oldest age will be listed. All stats courtesy of Statmuse.com.
1. Karl Malone, Los Angeles Lakers (Age: 40 years, 276 days)
Malone left his mark on history in the series-clinching Game 4 Lakers win over the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2004 NBA playoffs. “The Mailman”, who has three other 30-plus performances over the age of 36, scored 30 points with 13 rebounds, three blocks and one assist in the contest while playing nearly the entire game, recording 47 minutes of action.
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers (Age: 40 years, 59 days)
The player with the most 30-plus point performances past the age of 36 with 13, Abdul-Jabbar is in a class of his own when it comes to successful longevity. In a performance that would clinch the 1987 NBA title for the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar scored 32 points while grabbing six rebounds and blocking four shots in 29 minutes in Game 6 against the Celtics.
3. Reggie Miller, Indiana Pacers (Age: 39 years, 247 days)
Another player who knew how to excel on the court despite his age, Miller finished his career with three playoff games with over 30 points over the age of 36. His oldest performance came at the expense of the Celtics once again as Miller dropped 33 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 35 minutes in the Pacers 99-76 Game 3 win in the first round of the 2005 playoffs.
4. Eddie Johnson, Houston Rockets (Age: 38 years, 22 days)
One of the more under-appreciated players on this list, Johnson carved out a solid 17-year NBA career with five different franchises and is among the top scorers eligible for the Naismith Hall of Fame that has not yet been inducted. This performance came in Johnson’s final years in the league as he dropped 31 points, two rebounds and a steal in just 28 minutes in the 118-100 Rockets victory over the Utah Jazz in Game 3 of the 1997 Western Conference finals.
5. Richie Guerin, Atlanta Hawks (Age: 37 years, 325 days)
The player on this list whose career started the earliest, Guerin was a 13-year player who was a six-time NBA All-Star and ended his career as a player-coach for the Atlanta Hawks before eventually being inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2013. In his final game as a player, Guerin dropped 31 points, five rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes in a Game 4 133-114 loss to the Lakers in the 1970 division finals.
6. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs (Age: 37 years, 54 days)
The last 30-plus point performance of his illustrious career, Duncan left it all on the floor in a 103-100 loss to the eventual champion Miami Heat in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals. “The Big Fundamental” had a strong night, scoring 30 points while grabbing 17 rebounds in 44 minutes of action.
7. John Havlicek, Boston Celtics (Age: 37 years, 12 days)
The Celtics player in front of the Horford performance that inspired this list, Havlicek needs no introduction to NBA fans as one of the true legends of the game. This performance came against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 of the 1977 Eastern Conference semifinals. Though Boston dropped the game 113-101, “Hondo” scored 31 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists in 41 minutes.
8. Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns (Age: 36 years, 357 days)
The lone performance on the list that occurred this season, Paul could see his name rise on this list as early as the end of the postseason. On April 28, Paul scored 33 points to go with eight assists, five rebounds and a steal in a 115-109 series-clinching Game 6 win over the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2022 first round. At 37 years and five days old, Paul could pass Havlicek later in the postseason if he were able to muster up another 30-point performance in a later round.
9. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks (Age: 36 years, 309 days)
Nowitzki gets the honor of the highest scoring performance on this list (though not the oldest highest scoring postseason performance in NBA history as that belongs to Abdul-Jabbar), after he dropped 34 points in 36 minutes against the Houston Rockets in a Game 3 loss during the 2015 first round. In addition to his 34 points, Nowitzki also had eight rebounds, four assists and a block in the 130-128 loss.
10. Sam Cassell, Los Angeles Clippers (Age: 36 years, 179 days)
Another outlier performance, Cassell played for eight different teams over 15 NBA seasons. This performance came in a Game 5 125-118 loss to the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 Western Conference semifinals. Cassell scored 32 points with five assists, three rebounds and two steals over 50 minutes of the double-overtime marathon.
