On March 19, 1972, the Los Angeles Lakers delivered the most lopsided win in league history at the time, overpowering the Golden State Warriors 162–99 at the Forum.
The 63-point difference established a new NBA benchmark for margin of victory. Eight Lakers reached double figures, led by Gail Goodrich’s 30 points and Jim McMillan’s 22. Jerry West and future Lakers head coach Pat Riley each scored 17, Wilt Chamberlain added 10, Happy Hairston contributed 16, and John Trapp posted 19. Every Laker except one recorded at least one basket.
Golden State entered the night with the NBA’s fifth-best record and a 51-win season in progress, featuring Hall of Fame center Nate Thurmond. The Warriors, however, could not keep pace with a Los Angeles squad that would finish the season with 69 victories and a still-unmatched 33-game winning streak.
The Lakers’ record margin stood for nearly two decades before the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Miami Heat by 68 points in 1991. It was surpassed again in 2021, when the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Oklahoma City Thunder by 79.
Source: Lakers Nation
