On This Day in Sports: April 9, 1978
On April 9, 1978, George Gervin and David Thompson concluded the closest scoring race in NBA history with two extraordinary performances played only hours apart. Thompson scored 73 points for Denver in an afternoon game, forcing Gervin to answer that evening for San Antonio. The league title would be decided not by a vote or playoff, but by the final decimal of points per game.
Gervin attacked immediately against New Orleans. He scored 20 points in the first quarter and a then-record 33 in the second, reaching halftime with 53. The Spurs continued feeding him until he secured the total he needed, then removed him after 33 minutes. Gervin finished with 63 points, matching the urgency of Thompson’s challenge without sacrificing his effortless style.
The arithmetic gave Gervin the scoring crown, 27.22 points per game to Thompson’s 27.15. Seven-hundredths of a point separated them across an 82-game season. The duel was unusual because neither player guarded the other, yet each knew the target created by the other’s performance. Their separate games became one shared event unfolding across the league.
Gervin’s 63 established the first of four NBA scoring titles and reinforced his reputation as one of basketball’s most fluid finishers. Thompson’s 73 remained one of the league’s highest single-game totals. Together, their finale demonstrated how a statistical race could generate live drama, with every basket changing a calculation and two stars pushing the limits on the same day.
David Thompson scored 73 points earlier that day.
Gervin scored 63 points against New Orleans.
He had 53 points by halftime.
Gervin scored 33 in the second quarter.
The final averages were 27.22 and 27.15.
It was the first of Gervin’s four scoring titles.
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