The Worst Games by the NBA's Best Players
We look at the worst games played by the NBA's best players over their career, like LeBron's abysmal performance in Game 4 of the 2011 NBA Finals.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
The struggle is real, even for the best players on earth.
As we all know, even the LeBron Jameses, Steph Currys, and Kevin Durants of the world don't put up 30 every night—sometimes they're due for a dud. We've compiled a list of the worst performances by the game's best players, like Curry's woeful Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. Even reigning two-time NBA MVPs have an off night.
So the next time you throw up a bunch of bricks during your run, rest assured that the elite of the NBA can feel your pain. Here are 13 reminders that even the best of the best are still human.
Russell Westbrook
Game: Dec. 28, 2011 vs. Memphis
Line: 4 PTS, 3 TRB, 6 AST, 0.00 FG%
Offending stat: 0 for 13 from the field
Before Westbrook was embraced as an elite player in the NBA, he was known as the clear second fiddle to Kevin Durant. Many believe Westbrook's selfishness cost the Thunder wins back in his early days. A game against the Grizzlies in late 2011 might serve as evidence of this. In almost 40 minutes, Westbrook missed all 13 of his shots and had 4 measly points, all coming off free throws.
Kevin Durant
Game: Game 2 of 2016 Western Conference First Round Series vs. Dallas
Line: 21 PTS, 9 TRB, 2 AST, 21.2 FG%
Offending stat: Tied record for most missed shots in playoff game
The pressure of the playoffs can be a star’s greatest ally or their cruelest foe. Performances are etched in the history books—for better or worse. Kevin Durant learned that the hard way against the Dallas Mavericks during the 2016 playoffs. He had the worst shooting night of any player ever in the playoffs with at least 30 attempts. He went 7 for 33 and tied Michael Jordan for the most missed shots in a playoff game. To make things worse, he missed a game-tying layup in the closing seconds as the Thunder fell to the Mavs.
Chris Paul
Game: March 26, 2014 vs. New Orleans
Line: 2 PTS, 4 TRB, 12 AST, 0-12 FG
Offending stat: Worst shooting performance in Clippers history
Thanks to his reputation as an elite distributor with great scoring skills, Paul is one of the best point guards in league history and a surefire Hall of Famer. But on this night, Paul made history that he for all the wrong reasons. The Los Angeles Clippers are historically known for bad basketball, but one of their biggest stars authored an atrocious line in the box score, missing all 12 of his shots from the field—the worst shooting performance in Clippers history.
Kawhi Leonard
Game: Jan. 26, 2016 vs. Golden State
Line: 16 PTS, 5 TRB, -19 +/-
Offending stat: Allowed Steph Curry to score 37 points
Kawhi Leonard is a defensive genius. He has frustrated some of the best scorers in the world. Even on days where his offense was lacking, his elite defense always makes him a consistently valuable player. But even Leonard has his off days. During a key regular season matchup with the Warriors last season, the Spurs lost the defensive battle. Leonard was beaten nine times out of 10 when the Warriors shot against him. Curry in particular went off for 37 points with just one turnover.
LaMarcus Aldridge
Game: Jan. 26, 2016 vs. Golden State
Line: 5 PTS, 3 TRB, -20 +/-
Offending stat: Deleted social media accounts after game
Joining his teammate Leonard, Aldridge also had perhaps his worst game against the Warriors. The Spurs, who've been consistently elite, lost a 30 point blowout to the Warriors. Aldridge played poorly, finishing with only five points, one board, and three turnovers. So poorly, in fact, he deleted his social media accounts after getting mocked of by Spurs fans.
James Harden
Game: Game 5 of the 2015 Western Conference Finals vs. Golden State
Line: 14 PTS, 5 AST, 12 TOV
Offending stat: Playoff record for turnovers in a game
For the title of the NBA’s most lethal scorer, James Harden is always in the conversation. While his scoring skill cannot be denied, Harden is also known for being among the NBA’s worst defenders and very turnover prone. During the 2015 playoffs against the Warriors, not only was his terrible defensive effort on full display, but he also finished with 12 turnovers—an NBA playoff single-game record. His 14 points were also mediocre for a player whose main value is putting the ball in the hoop.
DeAndre Jordan
Game: Nov. 30, 2015 vs. Portland
Line: 18 PTS, 24 TRB, 35.3 FT%
Offending stat: Tied record for most missed free throws in a game
With 18 points and a whopping 24 boards, this is probably far from DJ's worst overall game. But with 22 missed free throws, it will certainly be one of his most memorable. First Team All-NBA last season, Jordan has long been a defensive stalwart for the Clippers. His free throw shooting has always been a problem, but on this night, Jordan tied (at the time) an NBA record for missed free throws in a game.
Draymond Green
Game: Game 3 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals
Line: 6 PTS, 4 TRB, 3 AST, 1-9 FG
Offending stat: -43 +/-
The versatile Draymond Green has been asked to do it all. He can defend any player on the court and can make contested three’s with ease. There’s not much he can’t do. However, in the 2016 playoffs, Green played one of the worst games in playoff history with a +/- score of -43. That’s absurdly bad.
Paul George
Game: Dec. 21, 2015 vs. San Antonio
Line: 7 PTS, 7 TRB, 6 AST, 7.1 FG%
Offending stat: 1 of 14 from the field
One of the best two-way players in the game today, George was the only viable offensive option for the Pacers and he still was able to shut down most players in the game. But when pitted against the eerily similar Kawhi Leonard in 2015, George was destroyed. He made in only one shot in 14 attempts, scoring 7 points. His six turnovers also stalled the Pacers offensive attack even more.
Andre Drummond
Game: Jan. 20, 2016 vs Rockets
Line: 17 PTS, 11 TRB, 36.1 FT%
Offending stat: Broke NBA record for most missed free throws
DeAndre Jordan may have tied the record for most free throw misses in a game, but Andre Drummond is not one to be outdone. In January, the Pistons' rebound machine/free throw brick machine missed 23 free throws. Drummond was intentionally fouled 21 times and went to the line 36 times in total. He was able to score a lot of points, finishing with 17, but with so many free shots at the basket he should have had more.
Damian Lillard
Game: March 4, 2015 vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Line: 5 PTS, 18 TRB, 4 AST, 7.69 FG%
Offending stat: Five points and five turnovers
The Blazers diminutive guard is one of the best scorers in the NBA, but on this night the Clippers had his number. Lillard ended up going 1 for 13 from the field, finishing his awful night with just five points and five turnovers. But the Blazers did manage to win so shout out to them.
Steph Curry
Game: Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals vs. Cleveland
Line: 17 PTS, 5 TRB, 2 AST, 28.6 3P%
Offending stat: 4 for 14 from 3 in deciding game
Thanks to insane three-pointers, a likable personality, and a Drake lyric, Steph Curry absolutely exploded onto the scene in the 2013-2014 NBA season and hasn’t looked back. But the unanimous 2015-16 MVP absolutely let the Warriors down in the 2016 NBA Finals when he failed to deliver on the biggest stage. Curry scored a decent 17 points, but was 4 for 14 from beyond the arc. He’ll be remembered in this game for giving up the go-ahead three to Kyrie Irving and completely getting locked down by Kevin Love in the waning moments.
LeBron James
Game: Game 4 of the 2011 NBA Finals vs. Dallas
Line: 8 PTS, 9 TRB, 7 AST, 27.3 FG%
Offending stat: 0 points in 4th quarter
At this point, only the worst kind of haters can deny the greatness of LeBron. But he’s also had his fair share of bad games throughout his career. During his “LeChoke” days in the 2011 NBA Finals, Bron had one of the worst games in his career. In over 45 minutes played, LeBron managed only eight points on 27 percent shooting. He scored zero points in the fourth quarter and thus jokes about LeBron’s lack of a clutch gene grew louder.