After a marathon 82-game season, the cream of the NBA is asked to pull up their socks, adjust their shooting sleeves, and set off for a sprint known as the playoffs.
But while the game's greats can coast here and there during the regular season, with the lights brighter in the post-season and the competition even hotter, it is kill or be killed; win or go home.
From a handful of Hall of Famers to some greats of the contemporary game, here is the full list of NBA players to have scored 55 points or more in an NBA playoff game.
| Points | Player | Team | Opponent | Date |
| 63 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | Boston Celtics | April 20, 1986 |
| 61 | Elgin Baylor | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | April 14, 1962 |
| 57 | Donovan Mitchell | Utah Jazz | Denver Nuggets | August 17, 2020 |
| 56 | Wilt Chamberlain | Philadelphia Warriors | Syracuse Nationals | March 22, 1962 |
| Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | Miami Heat | April 29, 1992 | |
| Charles Barkley | Phoenix Suns | Golden State Warriors | May 4, 1994 | |
| Jimmy Butler | Miami Heat | Milwaukee Bucks | April 24, 2023 | |
| 55 | Rick Barry | San Francisco Warriors | Philadelphia 76ers | April 18, 1967 |
| Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | Cleveland Cavaliers | May 1, 1988 | |
| Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | Phoenix Suns | August 16, 1993 | |
| Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | Washington Bullets | April 27, 1997 | |
| Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers | New Orleans Hornets | April 20, 2003 | |
| Damian Lillard | Portland Trailblazers | Denver Nuggets | June 1, 2021 |
