NBA Play-In Tournament records: Full list of points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks leaders

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Gilbert McGregor

NBA Play-In Tournament records: Full list of points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks leaders image

Statistical records are an important part of professional sports, and the NBA is no exception.

Historically, the NBA has separated stats into two categories: regular season and NBA Playoffs. In 2020, a third statistical designation was introduced when the NBA instituted a Play-In Tournament for teams to compete for the final spots in the NBA Playoffs.

The Play-In Tournament adopted its current format in 2021, but since its inception, one thing was made clear: rather than counting toward stats tabulated during the regular season or the NBA Playoffs, Play-In stats stand alone independently.

With that in mind, have a look at the statistical leaders through the first three years of the NBA's Play-In Tournament.

Click to jump to a section: Single-game records | All-time leaders | Top averages

NBA Play-In Tournament single-game records

Points: 50 – Jayson Tatum (2021)

Rebounds: 23 – Jonas Valanciunas (2021)

Assists: 15 – Russell Westbrook (2021)

18 PTS, 8 REB, 15 AST for @russwest44.#NBAPlayoff berth for @WashWizards.

#8 WAS vs. #1 PHI, Round 1, Game 1 📅 Sunday, 1pm/et, TNT pic.twitter.com/u8FHAIDZjZ
— NBA (@NBA) May 21, 2021

Steals: 5 – Gary Trent Jr. (2020), Kent Bazemore (2021)

Blocks: 5 – Daniel Gafford (2021), Jakob Poeltl (2021), Nic Claxton (2022)

MORE: Latest standings, seeds and potential matchups in NBA Playoff picture

NBA Play-In Tournament all-time leaders

Games played

Rank	Player	GP	Record
1.	Jonas Valanciunas	5	4-1
2.	C.J. McCollum	3	3-0
	Kyle Anderson	3	2-1
	Dillon Brooks	3	2-1
	De'Anthony Melton	3	2-1
	Ja Morant	3	2-1

Total points

Rank	Player	PTS	Games
1.	Ja Morant	90	3
2.	Jonas Valanciunas	84	5
3.	C.J. McCollum	80	3
4.	Stephen Curry	76	2
5.	Trae Young	62	2

Total rebounds

Rank	Player	REB	Games
1.	Jonas Valanciunas	77	5
2.	Domantas Sabonis	32	2
3.	Clint Capela	25	2
	Draymond Green	25	2
5.	Larry Nance Jr.	24	2

Total assists

Rank	Player	AST	Games
1.	Russell Westbrook	20	2
	Trae Young	20	2
	Ja Morant	20	3
4.	Domantas Sabonis	19	2
5.	Draymond Green	18	2

Total steals

Rank	Player	STL	Games
1.	Kent Bazemore	7	2
2.	T.J. McConnell	6	2
3.	Gary Trent Jr.	5	1
	Darius Garland	5	2
	Lauri Markkanen	5	2
	Ja Morant	5	3

Total blocks

Rank	Player	BLK	Games
1.	Daniel Gafford	7	2
	Kyle Anderson	7	3
3.	Jakob Poeltl	6	2
4.	Nic Claxton	5	1
	Jonas Valanciunas	5	3

NBA Play-In Tournament leaders

Points per game

Rank	Player	PPG	GP
1.	Jayson Tatum	50.0	1
2.	Stephen Curry	38.0	2
3.	Paul George	34.0	1
	Kyrie Irving	34.0	1
5	Trae Young	31.0	2
	Damian Lillard	31.0	1

Rebounds per game

Rank	Player	RPG	GP
1.	Jusuf Nurkic	21.0	1
2.	Domantas Sabonis	16.0	2
3.	Jonas Valanciunas	15.4	5
4.	Clint Capela	12.5	2
	Draymond Green	12.5	2

Assists per game

Rank	Player	APG	GP
1.	Kyrie Irving	12.0	1
2.	Kevin Durant	11.0	1
3.	Trae Young	10.0	2
	Russell Westbrook	10.0	2
	LeBron James	10.0	1
	Damian Lillard	10.0	1

Steals per game

Rank	Player	SPG	GP
1.	Gary Trent Jr.	5.0	1
2.	Kent Bazemore	3.5	2
3.	T.J. McConnell	3.0	2
	Bruce Brown	3.0	1
	Alex Caruso	3.0	1
	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	3.0	1
	Paul George	3.0	1
	D'Angelo Russell	3.0	1

Blocks per game

Rank	Player	SPG	GP
1.	Nic Claxton	5.0	1
2.	Daniel Gafford	3.5	2
3.	Jakob Poeltl	3.0	2
	Kevin Durant	3.0	1
5.	Kyle Anderson	2.3	3

Why NBA Play-In Tournament stats don't impact regular season, NBA Playoff numbers

The NBA Play-In Tournament takes place "after the regular season and before the first round of the playoffs," per NBA.com.

Play-In Tournament stats can't be applied to the regular season because it has already concluded, but they also aren't added to postseason totals because Play-In teams haven't officially qualified for the NBA Playoffs.

NBA Play-In Tournament history

2020

Game	Result	Reward
No. 8 (Trail Blazers) vs. No. 9 (Grizzlies)	Trail Blazers 126, Grizzlies 122	No. 8 seed

2021

**Western Conference**
Game	Result	Reward
No. 7 (Lakers) vs. No. 8 (Warriors)	Lakers 103, Warriors 100	No. 7 seed
No. 9 (Grizzlies vs. No. 10 (Spurs)	Grizzlies 100, Spurs 96	Advance
No. 8 (Warriors) vs. No. 9 (Grizzlies)	Grizzlies 117, Warriors 112 (OT)	No. 8 seed

**Eastern Conference**
Game	Result	Reward
No. 7 (Celtics) vs. No. 8 (Wizards)	Celtics 118, Wizards 100	No. 7 seed
No. 9 (Pacers) vs. No. 10 (Hornets)	Pacers 144, Hornets 117	Advance
No. 8 (Wizards) vs. No. 9 (Pacers)	Wizards 142, Pacers 115	No. 8 seed

2022

**Western Conference**
Game	Result	Reward
No. 7 (Timberwolves) vs. No. 8 (Clippers)	Timberwolves 109, Clippers 104	No. 7 seed
No. 9 (Pelicans) vs. No. 10 (Spurs)	Pelicans 113, Spurs 103	Advance
No. 8 (Clippers) vs. No. 9 (Pelicans)	Pelicans 105, Clippers 101	No. 8 seed

**Eastern Conference**
Game	Result	Reward
No. 7 (Nets) vs. No. 8 (Cavaliers)	Nets 115, Cavaliers 108	No. 7 seed
No. 9 (Hawks) vs. No. 10 (Hornets)	Hawks 132, Hornets 103	Advance
No. 8 (Cavaliers) vs. No. 9 (Hawks)	Hawks 107, Cavaliers 101	No. 8 seed