1. Michael Jordan 1989-90
To be fair to the GOAT, Michael Jordan, he had many many seasons where he put up more than 40 points in multiple games. And in most seasons, that was exactly what he needed to do for his team to win a majority of their games.
However, in the 1989-90 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls wound up having the league’s scoring leader and failed to capitalize on his insane ability to put the ball in the hoop. Jordan would end up averaging 32.5 points per game on the season.
But the Bulls still managed to play well, finishing with a winning record at 47-35 and the now famous “Shot on Ehlo” that kicked off the most dominant team ever: the 90’s Bulls. The Bulls would obviously go on to win six championships during Michael Jordan’s tenure.
Jordan put up fifteen 40+ point efforts during the 1988-89 season, and the Bulls only managed to win seven of them, and they did even worse in the five games he put up 50 or more going just 2-3 in those games.
At the end of the season Doug Collins was fired as the Chicago Bulls head coach and was replaced by an unproven Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen took the next step in his development, and the rest is history.
Number of games with 40+: 15
Record: 7-8 (.467)