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Team W-L Record in Games as a Leading Scorer

Posted by Neil Paine on February 3, 2011

This post is a major data dump, and really more for trivia purposes than anything else. But I put together a list of every player who led an NBA team in scoring in a regular-season game from 1987-2011, along with their PPG in those team-leading games, and the team's W-L record in those games (for the full list of players, click here). Here were the 50 players with the most games as a leading scorer:

Player Games Avg Pts Won Lost WPct
Karl Malone 1067 28.2 709 358 0.664
Michael Jordan 801 33.2 552 249 0.689
Allen Iverson 639 30.8 351 288 0.549
Shaquille O'Neal 624 29.5 422 202 0.676
Kobe Bryant 621 31.6 389 232 0.626
Patrick Ewing 592 27.4 348 244 0.588
Hakeem Olajuwon 569 27.9 340 229 0.598
Vince Carter 537 27.2 288 249 0.536
Kevin Garnett 536 24.4 300 236 0.560
Dirk Nowitzki 530 28.2 368 162 0.694
Tim Duncan 522 25.4 365 157 0.699
Paul Pierce 521 27.2 292 229 0.560
Reggie Miller 520 25.3 288 232 0.554
Charles Barkley 509 28.4 301 208 0.591
Dominique Wilkins 493 30.2 267 226 0.542
Mitch Richmond 471 26.4 188 283 0.399
David Robinson 471 28.1 316 155 0.671
LeBron James 462 30.4 290 172 0.628
Ray Allen 440 26.4 239 201 0.543
Tracy McGrady 428 29.6 233 195 0.544
Gary Payton 407 25.0 264 143 0.649
Clyde Drexler 391 27.9 252 139 0.645
Chris Webber 375 25.7 223 152 0.595
Glen Rice 367 27.1 204 163 0.556
Dwyane Wade 358 29.4 206 152 0.575
Antawn Jamison 352 26.1 122 230 0.347
Carmelo Anthony 347 28.5 208 139 0.599
Stephon Marbury 344 27.0 135 209 0.392
Elton Brand 323 24.5 137 186 0.424
Latrell Sprewell 322 25.9 163 159 0.506
Richard Hamilton 320 23.8 181 139 0.566
Shareef Abdur-Rahim 319 24.2 92 227 0.288
Alonzo Mourning 295 25.3 171 124 0.580
Allan Houston 291 25.3 144 147 0.495
Glenn Robinson 291 26.2 125 166 0.430
Jerry Stackhouse 288 27.1 129 159 0.448
Chris Mullin 287 27.8 148 139 0.516
Grant Hill 285 25.8 154 131 0.540
Michael Redd 285 26.8 124 161 0.435
Clifford Robinson 283 24.6 169 114 0.597
Michael Finley 278 25.2 143 135 0.514
Antoine Walker 276 25.4 109 167 0.395
Amare Stoudemire 269 28.2 168 101 0.625
Dale Ellis 268 27.4 135 133 0.504
Juwan Howard 265 23.4 101 164 0.381
Jamal Mashburn 263 25.1 141 122 0.536
Pau Gasol 261 24.1 128 133 0.490
Chris Bosh 259 25.9 128 131 0.494
Joe Dumars 257 25.8 148 109 0.576
Joe Johnson 255 26.6 128 127 0.502

Here are the players with the best winning percentages as a leading scorer, minimum 100 games as a leading scorer:

Player Games Avg Pts Won Lost WPct
Larry Bird 176 31.4 137 39 0.778
Magic Johnson 172 27.7 128 44 0.744
Tony Parker 196 24.5 144 52 0.735
Byron Scott 119 24.8 87 32 0.731
Manu Ginobili 148 24.9 105 43 0.709
Tim Duncan 522 25.4 365 157 0.699
Dirk Nowitzki 530 28.2 368 162 0.694
Michael Jordan 801 33.2 552 249 0.689
Scottie Pippen 207 25.0 142 65 0.686
Shaquille O'Neal 624 29.5 422 202 0.676
Adrian Dantley 104 26.3 70 34 0.673
Jeff Hornacek 125 25.2 84 41 0.672
David Robinson 471 28.1 316 155 0.671
Yao Ming 173 26.4 116 57 0.671
Mehmet Okur 117 23.5 78 39 0.667
Karl Malone 1067 28.2 709 358 0.664
Mark Price 152 24.0 101 51 0.664
Chauncey Billups 232 24.6 153 79 0.659
Anfernee Hardaway 147 25.1 96 51 0.653
Peja Stojakovic 227 25.9 148 79 0.652
Shawn Marion 203 25.0 132 71 0.650
Moses Malone 120 26.3 78 42 0.650
Gary Payton 407 25.0 264 143 0.649
Mark Aguirre 164 27.5 106 58 0.646
Clyde Drexler 391 27.9 252 139 0.645
Hedo Turkoglu 103 23.5 65 38 0.631
LeBron James 462 30.4 290 172 0.628
Kobe Bryant 621 31.6 389 232 0.626
Amare Stoudemire 269 28.2 168 101 0.625
James Worthy 172 25.5 107 65 0.622
Steve Smith 220 23.1 135 85 0.614
Rik Smits 181 23.7 111 70 0.613
Eddie Jones 243 23.2 149 94 0.613
Shawn Kemp 251 23.6 153 98 0.610
Ricky Pierce 210 25.0 128 82 0.610
Cedric Ceballos 135 27.0 82 53 0.607
Rasheed Wallace 236 22.9 143 93 0.606
John Starks 121 23.4 73 48 0.603
Brandon Roy 146 25.5 88 58 0.603
Xavier McDaniel 143 27.5 86 57 0.601
David West 165 24.8 99 66 0.600
Carmelo Anthony 347 28.5 208 139 0.599
Hakeem Olajuwon 569 27.9 340 229 0.598
Clifford Robinson 283 24.6 169 114 0.597
Terry Cummings 191 26.0 114 77 0.597
Tom Chambers 181 29.9 108 73 0.597
Chris Webber 375 25.7 223 152 0.595
Charles Barkley 509 28.4 301 208 0.591
Jason Kidd 175 24.5 103 72 0.589
Kevin Johnson 182 27.4 107 75 0.588

And here are the players with the worst winning percentages as a leading scorer:

Player Games Avg Pts Won Lost WPct
Lamond Murray 122 21.8 30 92 0.246
Al Jefferson 129 24.3 33 96 0.256
Shareef Abdur-Rahim 319 24.2 92 227 0.288
Corey Maggette 212 24.4 62 150 0.292
Orlando Woolridge 100 26.0 30 70 0.300
Jim Jackson 193 23.9 61 132 0.316
Rex Chapman 127 24.5 41 86 0.323
Al Harrington 165 24.3 56 109 0.339
Rony Seikaly 146 23.8 50 96 0.342
Rudy Gay 127 24.5 44 83 0.346
Antawn Jamison 352 26.1 122 230 0.347
Johnny Newman 136 23.1 48 88 0.353
Ricky Davis 147 25.4 52 95 0.354
Christian Laettner 135 22.6 48 87 0.356
Reggie Theus 110 26.9 41 69 0.373
Wayman Tisdale 152 25.1 57 95 0.375
David Wesley 135 22.9 51 84 0.378
Ken Norman 111 24.6 42 69 0.378
Antonio McDyess 171 24.5 65 106 0.380
Juwan Howard 265 23.4 101 164 0.381
Tony Campbell 133 25.7 51 82 0.383
Caron Butler 141 24.4 55 86 0.390
Monta Ellis 105 29.1 41 64 0.390
Eddy Curry 102 22.7 40 62 0.392
Ron Mercer 102 23.0 40 62 0.392
Stephon Marbury 344 27.0 135 209 0.392
Antoine Walker 276 25.4 109 167 0.395
Donyell Marshall 111 22.6 44 67 0.396
Mitch Richmond 471 26.4 188 283 0.399
Derek Harper 157 24.6 63 94 0.401
Tom Gugliotta 140 23.4 57 83 0.407
Dell Curry 103 22.6 42 61 0.408
Derrick Coleman 221 24.1 91 130 0.412
Danny Manning 169 25.0 70 99 0.414
Alvin Robertson 106 25.2 44 62 0.415
Lamar Odom 135 22.3 57 78 0.422
Andre Miller 163 22.7 69 94 0.423
Elton Brand 323 24.5 137 186 0.424
Rod Strickland 139 23.1 59 80 0.424
Jalen Rose 239 24.6 102 137 0.427
Kendall Gill 133 24.0 57 76 0.429
Glenn Robinson 291 26.2 125 166 0.430
Michael Redd 285 26.8 124 161 0.435
Mike Bibby 166 25.1 73 93 0.440
Zach Randolph 244 24.5 108 136 0.443
Bernard King 126 30.2 56 70 0.444
Rodney Rogers 101 21.8 45 56 0.446
Jerry Stackhouse 288 27.1 129 159 0.448
Isaiah Rider 212 24.9 95 117 0.448
Eddie Johnson 138 26.2 62 76 0.449

8 Responses to “Team W-L Record in Games as a Leading Scorer”

  1. Garron Says:

    Could you also throw in there total games played? Just so we know what % of games they played they were actually the leading scorer.

  2. Neil Paine Says:

    I hate to say it, but I can't. I really don't have time to re-run all of the tables and put that in right now. Probably one of the first times I've ever turned down a commenter request like this.

  3. DocRostov Says:

    This is an interesting little exercise. One thing that popped out to me was Malone's insane number of games, there -- 1067 games as a leading scorer? That's ridiculous. I realize he was the main scoring option on the Jazz for essentially his entire career, but DANG.

  4. Jason J Says:

    It would be interesting to see what the win%s were for their teams when they didn't lead in scoring as a comparison.

  5. AHL Says:

    Well, this leads to the obligatory relative performance question: Compare these W/L records to the W/L when they aren't the leadimg scorer, to see when raising their game truly improved their team.

    When you have time to re-run the tables. =)

  6. Sean Says:

    Not very surprised to see Larry Bird at the top of the list in winning percentage.

  7. Will Says:

    I was looking at the list, and found a few who have a very low percentage of games played in which they were the leading scorer. The list th

    Alton Lister, Manute Bol, Mark Eaton [who had none in career], Brad Davis, adam keefe, Joe Wolfe, Jon koncak, Greg Foster ........ Sense a theme in these ?

    Also, I was surprised at the low amount of games for norm nixon and world b. free, despite that they both averaged over 15ppg for their career].

    For current players, ronnie Turiaf [over 300 games played] has only 1.

  8. Knick with the Knack Says:

    Well, this leads to the obligatory relative performance question: Compare these W/L records to the W/L when they aren't the leadimg scorer, to see when raising their game truly improved their team.

    Ditto.

    Better would be to weigh the non-high-scorer W% by number of games the player led in scoring each season, so that all the games Player X had as a rookie on a crappy team don't overwhelm the games five years later when he was the best player on a great team.