Coming off the bench in the NBA requires player to be ready to answer the call at any time. Like a sparkplug that can easily change the momentum of the game, they certainly play an important role to supplant the team's stars during their short breaks.
The bench players also play an instrumental role in helping the team's star players keep their legs fresh. Throughout the years, we've seen some of the best bench players in the league, some of which would even go on to take over games in dramatic fashion to help their teams secure the win. Let's rank the 10 best scoring performances by a player coming off the bench.
10. Lou Williams – 45 points
More often than not, masterful scoring performances usually lead to wins. However, that wasn't the case for Lou Williams and the Los Angeles Clippers by falling for the Minnesota Timberwolves, 130-120. During the loss, Williams dropped 45 points off the bench in just 34 minutes of action. Later that year, he went on to win his third NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
9. J.R. Smith – 45 points
Although the Denver Nuggets only used nine players against the Kings in a late 2012-13 contest, the Nuggets still managed to get a dominant 118-98 win over the Kings.
While Smith often gets ridiculed for his antics, thanks to Smith's 45 points in just 30 minutes of play, the Nuggets still managed to exhibit dominance despite playing with a depleted lineup. Smith also dropped 11 threes during the game.
8. Darius Miles – 47 points
Darius Miles is popular for being the teammate of LeBron James. However, there's no question that the former NBA All-Rookie team player also had talent.
While playing for the Blazers, he once exploded for 47 points in 40 minutes off the bench. Furthermore, he also grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Blazers. Unfortunately, Portland still conceded to the Denver Nuggets, 119-115 to spoil his efforts.
7. Larry Bird – 47 points
There's no question that Larry Bird is one of the most iconic players to suit up in the NBA. Coming off the bench for one of the rare times in his career, the three-time NBA champion tried his best to lead the Celtics over the Milwaukee Bucks by scoring 47 points, along with 14 rebounds, in just 38 minutes of action.
Unfortunately, Bird's huge night was spoiled by the Bucks, who came out with a 115-113 victory.
6. Cazzie Russell (2x times) – 46 points
Before serving as the head coach of the Armstrong State Pirates, Cazzie Russell was a solid forward in the NBA. For the Warriors, he first dropped 46 points off the bench in a 23-point victory over the Buffalo Braves in just 37 minutes. If that wasn't amazing enough, season later, Russell matched his 46-point performance against the Phoenix Suns to lead the Warriors to a 134-121 win.
5. Andrew Toney – 46 points
Although Andrew Toney also scored 46 points, the former NBA champion managed to achieve the feat in just 35 minutes off the bench. Thanks to his timely scoring, the Sixers escaped the Showtime Lakers led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with a slim 119-113 margin. He also shot a highly efficient 72 percent from the field overall to lead all scorers.
4. Mike Dunleavy Sr. – 48 points
After a slow first half against the Denver Nuggets, the Houston Rockets found relief when they played Mike Dunleavy Sr. off the bench. Dunleavy exploded for 48 points on 63 percent shooting during the Rockets' strong third-quarter rally to come out with a 111-108 win. Dunleavy only needed 34 minutes to reach his scoring total.
3. Mike Woodson – 48 points
During the 1982-83 season, the Kansas City Kings took care of business against a lowly Rockets squad with a 128-105 win. In a masterclass performance, Woodson exploded for 48 points in just 32 minutes. Furthermore, he also shot 92 percent from the field, which is the highest field-goal percentage by a player in a game who took more than 20 shots.
2. Nick Anderson- 50 points
Only two bench players in the NBA have reached the half-century mark in a game, one of which is Nick Anderson, who towed the Orlando Magic over the New Jersey Nets with a 119-116 win with his 50-point performance off the bench. He shot 68 percent from the field and made four 3-point field goals. Moreover, Anderson also swished all 12 of his free-throw attempts.
1. Jamal Crawford – 51 points
The only other bench player who surpassed the 50-point mark in NBA history is Jamal Crawford, when the Phoenix Suns fell to the Dallas Mavericks 120-109. In a losing effort against the Mavericks, Crawford came off the bench to score 51 points, spiked by seven threes in 38 minutes of action.
In the process, Crawford also made NBA history by becoming the oldest player in league history to score more than 50 points at 39 years and 20 days old.
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