Phoenix Suns: 10 Highest Scoring Games In Suns’ History

Paul Westphal would break the Suns’ single game scoring mark twice in his career, but never break through the 50 point barrier.

The first time Westphal set the mark was the early part of the 1977 season. The Phoenix Suns were trying to respond to a disappointing 1976-77 season that had seen them fail to continue the Sunderella Suns’ success.

The Suns did go 49-33 that season, but lost 2 games to 0 to the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs. That was actually a very defensive minded team: the Suns had the best defensive rating in the NBA that year.

Unlike the first two opponents on this list, the Denver Nuggets, coached by Larry Brown, were a fairly good team in the 1977-78 season. Although the Nuggets were not a strong defensive team, they did make the conference finals that season.

Westphal was having his best season as a professional, and would make his first of five straight all-star team appearances.

The Phoenix Suns won the game 115-97, with Westphal shooting 20 of 30 from the field, and 8 of 10 from the free throw line. Remember, this was before the three-point shot.

Two seasons later, Westphal would top his mark by one point, scoring 49 against the Pistons at Detroit. This was the first season the NBA had the three-point line, and Westphal did make two.

However, this was still a volume performance by Westphal, making 18 shots from the field and going 11 of 12 from the line. Westphal managed to produce huge scoring nights without the huge free throw totals.

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