THE term “March Madness” has always been confined to the men’s college basketball tournament in the United States of America held every year in March, but the National Basketball Association (NBA) has put on their own version this month in terms of high-scoring performances. So far this month, six different players have registered eight games of 50 or more points, with no more than three days between each.

The last month that featured more 50-point games in the NBA was in December 1962 when there were nine in total, with six by Wilt Chamberlain of the San Francisco Warriors and the other three by Elgin Baylor of the Los Angeles Lakers. Chamberlain had, by that time, made a career of 50-point performances as he registered 19 in December 1961, 15 in January 1962, 12 in February 1962, and eight in October 1962.

Here is a chronological look at the NBA’s March 2022 crazy run.

LeBron James started the ‘madness’ by contributing 56 points for the Lakers against the Golden State Warriors on March 5, becoming the fourth-oldest player in NBA history to top 50 points and the oldest player to record 50 plus points and 10 plus rebounds in a game, besting the mark previously held by Michael Jordan.

Jayson Tatum finished with 54 points against the Brooklyn Nets on March 6 as he notched his fourth career 50-point, regular-season game. He tied Hall of Famer and Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird for the most 50-point scoring games in Celtics history in what was his second 50-point game of this season.

On March 8, against the Charlotte Hornets, Kyrie Irving crossed the 50-point mark for the first time since January 2020 and recorded what was then his third 50-point game since joining the Brooklyn Nets. That performance was Irving’s fifth career 50-point game, which made him one of 22 players in NBA history with five such games.

LeBron was at it again on March 11 against the Washington Wizards when he dropped an even 50 for his 14th career regular-season game of 50 or more points — tying him with Hall of Famer Rick Barry for sixth on the NBA’s all-time list. LeBron, at 37 years old, became the oldest player in league history to register multiple 50-point games in a season, joining Kobe Bryant as the only Laker to score 50 in back-to-back home games (Bryant did so in April 2007).

Kevin Durant got in on the act with 53 points against the New York Knicks on March 13, when he set career highs in field goals made and attempts in his eighth career 50-point game. Durant became the second player in Nets history (Kyrie being the other) to have multiple 50-point games in a season and, at the time, Durant became the third player this season with multiple 50-point games (LeBron and Tatum were the others).

The reigning All-Star 3-Point Contest champion, Karl-Anthony Towns put his range on display in a 60-point showing against the San Antonio Spurs on March 14, in a personal- and franchise-best outing. He became the first Minnesota Timberwolves player to achieve multiple 50-point games and the first player in NBA history to reach the benchmarks of 60 points, 15 rebounds and 60 per cent 3-point shooting in a game.

Not to be outdone, on March 15 Kyrie Irving dropped a career-high 60 points on the Orlando Magic after scoring 41 in the first half. Irving bettered the Nets’s single-game, regular-season scoring mark, outdoing the 57-point performance of Deron Williams back in 2012. It was the most by an NBA player in the first two quarters since Kobe Bryant had 42 against the Washington Wizards on March 28, 2003, and his first-half output is the most in any half of an NBA game since Devin Booker scored 51 in his 70-point game back in 2017.

With only a single NBA game on the schedule for March 17, Detroit Pistons forward Saddiq Bey took on the ‘scoring cape’ and hit a career-best and Pistons record-tying 10 3-pointers as part of a 51-point jaunt against the Magic. Bey had a career-best half, scoring 30 points while draining six three-pointers before the half-time break, then added another 15 points in the fourth quarter for a 14-point win.

There are a few days left in March and the madness appears to be over, but the serious business of the NBA continues. The double 50-point scorers in March (LeBron and Kyrie) are on teams that entered the season with high expectations but, with less than 10 games left in the regular season, both the Lakers and Nets are teetering on the edge of missing the play-offs, and their best bet is the Play-In Tournament.

The Nets are sitting uncomfortably at number eight in the Eastern Conference with the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks in hot pursuit at number nine and 10, respectively. They take on the east-leading Miami Heat tomorrow (March 26) and the Hornets on Sunday but will run a gauntlet to close their remaining seven games which include the Milwaukee Bucks, Hawks and New York Knicks.

The Lakers are precariously perched at the ninth spot in the Western Conference and face an ambitious New Orleans Pelicans team this Sunday who are hot on their heels at number 10. The Lakers will have eight remaining games and the outlook appears grim, as their opponents include the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets (twice).

That said, the NBA marquee matchups for this weekend will see the Minnesota Timberwolves taking on the Mavericks this evening, the Memphis Grizzlies tackling the Bucks on Saturday evening, the Suns versus the Philadelphia 76ers, with the Mavericks confronting the Jazz on Sunday — that’s game.

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2021/22 NBA Champion

Team Odds

Phoenix Suns 4.25

Brooklyn Nets 6.75

Milwaukee Bucks 7.50

Golden State Warriors 7.50

Philadelphia 76ers 8.50

Miami Heat 10.00

Boston Celtics 12.00

Utah Jazz 17.00

Memphis Grizzlies 21.00

Denver Nuggets 26.00

*Only Top 10 odds shown (see website for full list)