The NBA Play-In Tournament has added a wrinkle to both the regular season and postseason, but it still hasn’t found a place in the league’s record books.
The six play-in games each year are in a league of their own since they come after the regular season but before the playoffs. Instead of cataloging NBA Play-In Tournament statistics, the league almost acts as if they never existed.
There is no formal list of NBA Play-In Tournament records from the NBA or even Basketball-Reference. Both entities acknowledge that the games have happened, and the results obviously have a tangible impact in shaping the playoff bracket, but the numbers don’t count for any player or team’s cumulative stats in any way.
Because of that, we’re left to use individual box scores to sort through NBA play-in records. After examining the 13 box scores for play-in games starting in 2020, here are the single-game records for points, biggest win and more.
What is the record for most points in an NBA Play-In Tournament game?
Jayson Tatum went nuclear in the Boston Celtics’ 118-100 play-in win against the Washington Wizards in 2021. The All-Star forward dropped a 50-piece on the Wizards, making 14 of his 32 field goal attempts and sinking all 17 of his free throw attempts to help the C’s secure the East’s No. 7 seed.
What is the record for most rebounds in an NBA Play-In Tournament game?
Golden State Warriors
Jonas Valanciunas cleaned the glass big time when the No. 9 Memphis Grizzlies beat the No. 10 San Antonio Spurs in 2021. He grabbed 23 rebounds to match his 23 points in a 100-96 victory for Memphis.
What is the record for most assists in an NBA Play-In Tournament game?
After falling to the Celtics in the first play-in game in 2021, Russell Westbrook made sure that his Wizards would not be eliminated from the tournament entirely. Westbrook dished out 15 assists to go along with 18 points as Washington dismantled the Indiana Pacers 142-115 and claimed the No. 8 seed.
What is the record for most blocks in an NBA Play-In Tournament game?
Three players have recorded five blocks in an NBA Play-In Tournament game.
Jakob Poeltl did it with the Spurs against the Grizzlies in 2021, Daniel Gafford did it with the Wizards against the Pacers in 2021 and Nic Claxton did it with the Brooklyn Nets against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2022.
What is the record for most steals in an NBA Play-In Tournament game?
Two players have collected five steals in a play-in game, but only one has done it under the current NBA Play-In Tournament format.
Gary Trent Jr. pulled off the feat when his Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Grizzlies in a one-off play-in game in the 2020 Orlando bubble to determine the West’s No. 8 seed. In 2021, Kent Bazemore matched Trent with five steals when the No. 8 Golden State Warriors lost to the No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers.
What is the record for most biggest victory in an NBA Play-In Tournament game?
The NBA Play-In Tournament has not been kind to the Charlotte Hornets. The team reached the competition as the No. 10 seed in 2021 and 2022, and it was promptly sent packing on both occasions.
The Hornets’ 144-117 loss to the Pacers in 2021 is tied for the second-worst play-in loss of all time. That 27-point defeat would still be tied for the top spot if not for the Hornet’s 132-103 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in 2022.