NBA History: 5 players with the most 50-point games in a losing cause 

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#3 Kobe Bryant - 7 games

Kobe Bryant in action during an NBA game.

The late great Kobe Bryant retired as one of the all-time greats in the NBA. He even signed off with a 60-point game in his last appearance for the LA Lakers.

Bryant was known for putting up huge individual performances throughout his career. His 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors is a great testament to his prowess as one of the best scorers in the NBA. Bryant had a wide range of shots in his arsenal. It made him one of the most difficult players to guard on the court.

Almost all of the team's possessions on every Lakers roster he played for ran through him. He was very clinical with the way he created space to make the toughest shots possible.

He ended up tallying 25 50-point games in his career, the third-highest in NBA history. Most of those games came when the LA Lakers were struggling to form a good team around Bryant. As a result, the Lakers lost as many as seven games when Bryant produced 50-point outings.

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#2 Michael Jordan - 8 games

NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen

Michael Jordan is regarded as the greatest basketball player ever. The 6-time NBA champion broke several records during his active years. He is idolized by a lot of players in the league. The intensity and passion with which he played was rare and a joy to watch.

That played a major role in him winning six NBA titles during his illustrious career. Jordan has been a superstar since making his debut. Even after retirement, he remains one of the most popular personalities known from the NBA globally. Jordan was skillful in every department of the game.

His offensive prowess was unparalleled. Jordan dominated teams single-handedly due to his scoring abilities. He managed to record 31 50-point games during his NBA career. He ended up on the losing side eight times, though. That's because the majority of his 50-point outings came when the Bulls were in the process of building a championship-caliber roster.

Jordan was often the only bright performer for his team, which saw plenty of his high production games go in vain.

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#1 Wilt Chamberlain - 37 games

Wilt Chamberlain's records are off the charts. He is the only player to average 40 and 50 points per game in a single season. He is the only player to have averaged at least 30 points and 20 points in an NBA season, a feat he has achieved seven times.

Chamberlain is also the only player to score 100 points in an NBA game, the highest for any player in the league's history. These statistics make it a little less surprising that he had a record 118 50-point games in his NBA career. Chamberlain wasn't always on the best of teams and won only two titles in his career.

Several of his monumental individual efforts went in vain more often than not. He recorded a whopping 37 50-point games in which his teams ended up on the losing side. To put that into context, Michael Jordan, who ranks second on the all-time list for the most 50-point games, had 31 50-point games in his career.