Date: March 24, 2017

Location: TD Garden, Boston

Final Score: Boston Celtics 130, Phoenix Suns 120

Context: Regular Season

Devin Booker’s 70-point night in Boston is remembered for two things at once: the sheer volume of scoring, and the strange, unforgettable reality that it came in a loss. That combination is part of what made it so startling. A 20-year-old guard, on a rebuilding team, walked into one of the league’s most historic buildings and authored a scoring performance that belonged to a different era.

The Celtics won the game. But the night belongs to Booker — a second-year player who was still being introduced to casual fans, who suddenly forced the league to treat him like something inevitable.

Where Booker was in his career at the time

Booker entered the NBA in 2015 as the 13th pick, known primarily as a shooter. By his second season, Phoenix had begun handing him the keys as a primary creator — not just a spacer, but a featured offensive engine.

The 2016–17 Suns were young, shorthanded, and far from playoff contention. That matters because the environment around Booker was not built to protect him with veteran stability. He was learning in public — carrying usage, seeing double teams, and trying to generate offense for lineups that often had limited scoring around him.

That’s why the 70 wasn’t just “a hot night.” It was a snapshot of a player’s ceiling cracking into the open.

What was working — and why the scoring felt effortless

Booker didn’t score 70 with one move. He scored 70 because Boston had to guard every part of his game, and once the night got rolling, Phoenix leaned fully into letting him read the floor.

1) Three-level scoring: Booker mixed pull-up jumpers, drives, midrange rhythm shots, and spot-up threes.

2) Foul pressure: When defenders got close, he turned contact into free throws. His scoring rate ballooned at the line.

3) Endurance and volume: He played nearly the entire game and carried the offense possession after possession.

4) Late-game urgency: Once Phoenix saw history was possible, the Suns ran offense to keep him involved constantly.

The final blueprint reads simple: score early enough to build rhythm, stay aggressive through Boston’s lead, then pour it on when the pace and urgency increase in the second half.

First quarter — Boston’s control, Booker’s early probing

The Celtics set the tone immediately. Boston scored 29 in the opening quarter while Phoenix managed 16. The Suns were behind early, and the game’s initial shape looked like a mismatch — playoff-bound team at home versus a young roster on the road.

Booker, though, was already establishing the areas he wanted. He wasn’t forcing chaos. He was taking the first clean shots he saw, getting downhill when lanes opened, and beginning the long work of turning a blowout game into a scoring opportunity.

Second quarter — Boston’s 3-point burst creates the mountain

The second quarter is where the game almost ends — and where Booker’s night begins to take a different form. Boston erupted for 37 points in the period, hitting a wave of threes and stretching the lead as high as 26.

Phoenix scored 27 in the quarter, but the Suns were still chasing. The Celtics’ spacing and pace put Phoenix in rotation constantly, and Isaiah Thomas controlled the tempo the way elite lead guards do when they sense a game can be buried.

At halftime, Booker had 19 points. That matters because the legend of “70” can make it sound like he was at 40 early. He wasn’t. It was a steady first half — and then a historic second.

Third quarter — the takeover begins

Booker came out of halftime like a player determined to make the scoreboard listen. He scored 23 points in the third quarter alone, turning the game from “Boston coasting” into “Boston paying attention again.”

This is where his scoring became layered. When defenders played him high, he drove into contact. When they backed up, he rose into jumpers. When help arrived late, he lived at the free-throw line.

Phoenix outscored Boston 37–31 in the third. The Celtics were still ahead, but the margin had been wounded — and Booker had entered the rare zone where every touch feels like it can become points.

Fourth quarter — 28 points, and the building changes

Booker scored 28 points in the fourth quarter. That is the heart of the story. This is where the night stops being “great game” and becomes “history.”

Phoenix fed him almost every time down the floor. The Suns used late timeouts to draw up touches, extend possessions, and keep him involved. It created a strange, highly visible chase: Boston trying to win, Phoenix trying to win too — but also trying to complete something bigger.

The Celtics, to their credit, didn’t stop competing. They kept answering with shot-making and free throws, keeping separation just wide enough to prevent Phoenix from stealing the game outright.

Yet the most memorable detail from the closing minutes wasn’t tactical. It was the sound inside TD Garden. As Booker climbed past 60 and then pushed toward 70, some Boston fans began cheering the scoring itself — recognizing that the opponent was delivering something that doesn’t happen often enough to pretend you didn’t see it.

Booker’s final stat line

Points: 70

Minutes: 44:58

Field Goals: 21-for-40

3-Pointers: 4-for-11

Free Throws: 24-for-26

Rebounds: 8

Assists: 6

Steals: 3

Blocks: 1

Turnovers: 5

The stat line tells you the structure: high-volume shot-making, heavy free-throw production, and enough playmaking to punish traps. It also tells you the workload: nearly 45 minutes with the offense orbiting him.

How Booker impacted the Suns in the game

Phoenix’s offense was built around Booker’s gravity. When he heated up, Boston’s defense had to tilt toward him — bringing extra attention above the arc, sending help into the lane, and closing harder on his pull-ups.

That attention created two things for the Suns: cleaner looks for teammates and a way to stay emotionally alive in a game where they had every reason to fold. The Suns didn’t win, but they kept competing because Booker gave the game a heartbeat.

Even the way Phoenix played late reflected his impact: the urgency to extend the game, the intentional fouling, the timeouts to manufacture touches — it all existed because everyone on the floor understood that something rare was unfolding.

What made it historic — and why it’s still debated

The night became a cultural moment for two reasons at once. First: 70 points is an exclusive number in NBA history, regardless of context. Second: the late-game approach was openly designed to maximize Booker’s chances to reach it.

Some saw that as uncomfortable. Others saw it as honest — a rebuilding team choosing to celebrate its brightest young star in real time. Either way, it made the moment impossible to ignore. You couldn’t pretend it was a normal “career high.” It was a franchise choosing to mark a night as special while it was still happening.

The Celtics won 130–120. But the game is remembered as Booker’s because it revealed a truth the league would spend years confirming: Devin Booker wasn’t just a scorer. He was a future offense by himself.

Date: April 2, 2019

Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City

Final Score: Oklahoma City Thunder 119, Los Angeles Lakers 103

Context: Regular Season

On April 2, 2019, Russell Westbrook authored one of the most emotionally charged stat lines in NBA history. It wasn’t built for record books or debate segments. It was built for someone else.

Westbrook finished the night with 20 points, 20 rebounds, and 21 assists — the first 20–20–20 game in the NBA since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968. But the numbers were secondary. This game was a tribute, a release, and a rare moment where grief and competition collided in real time.

What was happening before the game

One day earlier, the basketball world was shaken by the death of Nipsey Hussle, who was fatally shot in Los Angeles on March 31, 2019. The loss hit Westbrook personally. Nipsey was not just a public figure to him — he was family.

Westbrook grew up in Los Angeles. Nipsey did too. Their bond wasn’t built on celebrity proximity but on shared roots, shared neighborhoods, and shared values. Nipsey often spoke publicly about Westbrook’s loyalty, discipline, and authenticity. Westbrook, in turn, viewed Nipsey as a voice of leadership and purpose far beyond music.

Hours before tipoff, Westbrook posted a message dedicating the game to Nipsey Hussle. It wasn’t cryptic. It was direct. He wrote that he would play for him.

The emotional weight Westbrook carried

Players often say they “play heavy” when something personal follows them onto the floor. This night, it showed. Westbrook was visibly emotional throughout warmups and early stretches of the game. Teammates later said he was quieter than usual — locked in, but carrying something.

What made the performance different wasn’t aggression alone. It was patience. Westbrook didn’t hunt shots. He hunted impact.

First quarter — setting the tone

From the opening possession, Westbrook was intent on controlling the game’s flow. He pushed the ball, found shooters, and attacked the glass immediately. He recorded multiple assists in the first few minutes, signaling what kind of night this would be.

Oklahoma City played fast but organized. Paul George scored efficiently early, while Steven Adams benefited from Westbrook’s pressure collapsing the defense.

Second quarter — the rebounding becomes intentional

By the second quarter, it became clear Westbrook was tracking more than the score. He crashed the defensive glass relentlessly, often outmuscling larger players to secure rebounds and immediately ignite the break.

His assists weren’t flashy-only passes. They were early hit-aheads, quick reads to cutters, and deliberate possessions where he slowed the game just enough to let teammates finish.

Third quarter — control without forcing

Oklahoma City began to pull away in the third quarter. Westbrook continued to prioritize playmaking and rebounding, scoring when the defense allowed it rather than forcing the issue.

By the end of the quarter, he was already flirting with a historic stat line — but he never chased it. The rhythm came naturally because he never left the game.

Fourth quarter — when the arena realized what was happening

As the fourth quarter unfolded, the crowd began to understand what they were witnessing. Each rebound drew louder reactions. Each assist was tracked.

When Westbrook secured his 20th rebound and later delivered his 20th assist, the arena erupted — not with celebration, but recognition. Teammates on the bench stood immediately.

Westbrook later confirmed that he knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn’t chasing history for himself. He was fulfilling a promise he made earlier that day.

Russell Westbrook’s final stat line

Points: 20

Rebounds: 20

Assists: 21

Field Goals: 8-for-23

Free Throws: 3-for-6

It was not an efficient shooting night. It wasn’t supposed to be. The performance was about volume of influence, not shooting percentage.

How he impacted the Thunder beyond the numbers

Westbrook dictated pace for all 48 minutes. Every major Thunder run began with his rebound or his pass. He placed teammates in rhythm rather than demanding they adjust to him.

The Lakers were never able to control transition defense because Westbrook never allowed them to set. Even made baskets became opportunities for him to reset tempo.

The meaning of 20–20–20

Historically, the stat line is rare. Emotionally, it was singular. Westbrook said after the game that the number “20” represented Nipsey.

It was intentional. It was personal.

The game became something larger than basketball — a reminder that players do not leave their lives at the arena doors. Sometimes, they bring them onto the floor and let the game carry the weight.

Why this game endures

Years later, this performance is still cited not because of debate or analytics, but because of context. The numbers mattered because of why they existed.

Russell Westbrook didn’t just play through emotion that night. He transformed it into structure, discipline, and purpose.

The 20–20–20 game remains one of the clearest examples of basketball serving as expression — not escape, but tribute.

Date: June 3, 1990

Location: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan

Final Score: Detroit Pistons 93, Chicago Bulls 74

Series Result: Pistons win Eastern Conference Finals, 4–3

The “Migraine Game” isn’t remembered because of a shot, a single highlight, or a box-score oddity. It’s remembered because it was a Game 7 at the exact moment Chicago was trying to break through the league’s most punishing gatekeepers — and their best two-way wing spent the afternoon battling a migraine that he later said brought double vision and made it difficult to even see teammates clearly.

Why the stakes were so high

For three straight seasons, Chicago’s path to the Finals ran through Detroit. The Pistons were the defending champions, built around a veteran core that knew how to control tempo, win ugly possessions, and punish mistakes with waves of physical defense and veteran shot-making.

Chicago entered Game 7 already thin. Starting point guard John Paxson was out with a severely sprained right ankle, forcing Craig Hodges into the starting lineup. And then, just as the day’s tension was settling in, Scottie Pippen’s migraine returned during warmups after he believed it had eased earlier in the day.

What was going on with Pippen before tip-off

Pippen said the headache began the day before. He thought he was okay after sleeping and waking up feeling fine — but the symptoms returned during warmups. He described moments of double vision, and he spent portions of the game going to the bench for ice-pack treatments before checking back in.

The key point is that he still played heavy minutes — but the version of Pippen Chicago relied on (their slasher, secondary creator, and elite defender who could run the floor) simply wasn’t there.

First quarter: a tight, tense start

The opening quarter looked like a Game 7 is “supposed” to look: rushed shots, nerves, and both teams trying to steady themselves. Chicago led 19–17 after one, even though neither offense found a clean rhythm early.

This mattered because Chicago’s best chance was to keep it low-scoring and pressure Detroit into mistakes — the kind of grind where one hot stretch or one defensive run can decide everything.

Second quarter: the game swings hard

The swing came quickly, and it came in a way that explained why depth and health mattered so much. With the score tied at 25 and 8:42 left in the second quarter, Detroit’s defense tightened and their bench ignited. Mark Aguirre (off the bench) scored repeatedly, and Detroit’s second unit piled on pressure and points.

Detroit outscored Chicago 31–14 in the quarter — the decisive stretch of the afternoon. During one blistering run, the Pistons hit 14 of 15 field-goal attempts, including 10 straight, while Chicago went cold and ended the period missing 11 of 12.

That’s the scoreboard version. The on-court version was harsher: Chicago’s half-court possessions became tighter and more predictable, and without a fully functional Pippen (and without Paxson), there were fewer counters when Detroit loaded up on Michael Jordan.

Third quarter: Detroit stretches it, Chicago briefly answers

Detroit’s lead ballooned to 61–39 with 7:47 left in the third — a 22-point margin that, in a Game 7, can feel like a canyon. Chicago did have a response: Jordan scored to spark a push that cut the deficit.

By the end of three, the Bulls had climbed back within 69–59. It wasn’t a full reversal, but it was enough to keep the door cracked — and it’s why the “Migraine Game” carries a particular sting: Chicago did get one last chance to make it a true finish.

Fourth quarter: the last push never arrives

The fourth quarter is where the missing pieces showed up the most. Chicago needed a second scorer to punish Detroit’s help and to give Jordan relief possessions — a downhill drive, a timely cut, a transition burst, anything to force Detroit to guard the entire floor.

Instead, Detroit controlled the final period. Chicago couldn’t sustain efficient offense long enough to threaten, and the Pistons kept making the steadier plays to close out the 93–74 win.

Pippen’s line — and why it mattered

Pippen finished with 2 points on 1-for-10 shooting. In normal circumstances, a Pippen off-night might still be survivable because of his defense, rebounding, and transition play — but in this specific game, Chicago needed his offensive presence just to keep Detroit honest.

Jordan scored 31 and also piled up rebounds and assists, but the Bulls didn’t get enough efficient support to keep pace once Detroit’s bench and veterans seized control. Horace Grant reached double figures and pulled down a massive rebound total, yet even he struggled to convert shots as Chicago’s overall shooting cratered.

Detroit’s formula: veterans + bench punch

Detroit didn’t win Game 7 with one player; they won it with layers. Isiah Thomas led them with 21 points and 11 assists, and Detroit’s bench production was a major separator — especially in that second quarter burst that effectively decided the game’s shape.

It wasn’t flashy. It was “Bad Boys” control: pressure, poise, and stretches where Chicago simply couldn’t manufacture clean offense.

Aftermath: why this game still gets referenced

Historically, the “Migraine Game” sits at the hinge of the Bulls’ story. Chicago was close enough to see the Finals — one game away — and far enough to feel the gap between a rising contender and a champion that knows exactly how to finish.

Detroit advanced to the 1990 NBA Finals, while Chicago walked into another offseason with the same painful lesson: to beat Detroit in May and June, they needed health, composure, and enough offensive options that one player — even Michael Jordan — didn’t have to solve every possession.