Buddy Hield: season-high 31 points vs Heat (Apr 12, 2026)
31 PTS · 12-of-18 FG · 7-of-11 3P · 21:24 MIN
Usual before this game: 7.2 PTS · 6.2 FGA · 16.0 MIN, from 50 regular-season games
Best Game Score of 51 games this season: 26.2 against a usual 5.2 (+21.0)
Season-high 31 points (previous high 25, set on Jan 20, 2026)
above usual
No more than 1 in 100 games by players at this level finish this far above their usual.
For a player who plays every game, a game this far above the usual comes less than once a season.
How the score worksWhy did Buddy Hield score 31 points?
Buddy Hield scored 31 points against the Heat on Apr 12, 2026 in 21:24: 12-of-18 from the field (66.7%), 7-of-11 from three (63.6%). Before this game, Hield averaged 7.2 points on 6.2 shots in 16.0 minutes across 50 regular-season games. No earlier game this season reached 31 points. This game had the best Game Score of 51 games this season. The shot count was 18, against a usual 6.2. Hield shot 66.7% from the field, against a usual 42.4%. By shot type: threes 21 points (usual 4.0); two-pointers 10 points (usual 2.6). Hield played 21:24 against a usual 16.0 minutes; per 36 minutes the Game Score was 44.1, against a usual 11.7. The Hawks lost 143-117 at the Heat, a 26-point loss. The box score records what changed, not why: it holds no injury, matchup or coaching information.
Generated from the box score and this season's game log. How the score works
What changed
Hield in this game against the usual line
| Stat | This game | Usual (50 games) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | 21:24 | 16.0 | +5.4 |
| Points | 31 | 7.2 | +23.8 |
| Shots (FGA) · FG% | 18 · 66.7% | 6.2 · 42.4% | +11.8 · +24.3 |
| 3PA · 3P% | 11 · 63.6% | 4.0 · 33.3% | +7.0 · +30.3 |
| Rebounds | 3 | 2.3 | +0.7 |
| Assists | 3 | 1.4 | +1.6 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0.9 | +0.1 |
| UsageUsual: minutes-weighted average of per-game usage, 49 games | 36.5 | 19.7 | +16.8 |
| Game Score per 36 minutes | 44.1 | 11.7 | +32.4 |
Points by shot type
Twos, threes and free throws: the changes add up to the points change
| Shot type | This game | Usual (50 games) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Threes | 21 (7-of-11) | 4.0 (1.3-of-4.0) | +17.0 |
| Twos | 10 (5-of-7) | 2.6 (1.3-of-2.2) | +7.4 |
| Free throws | 0 (0-of-0) | 0.6 (0.6-of-0.7) | -0.6 |
| Total | 31 | 7.2 | +23.8 |
Game Score
One measure of the whole box score line
26.2 against a usual 5.2 (+21.0)
Its five parts
| Part | Change |
|---|---|
| Scoring, net of shot attempts | +19.4 |
| Rebounds | 0.0 |
| Assists | +1.1 |
| Steals and blocks | +0.1 |
| Turnovers and fouls | +0.4 |
| Total | +21.0 |
Season so far
Regular season, in date order
Best Game Score of 51 games this season.
Previous best: 25.3, set on Jan 20, 2026.
Context
From the rows this page already reads
- The Hawks lost 143-117 at the Heat, a 26-point loss.
- Earlier regular-season meetings with the Heat this season: 18 points (Nov 19, 2025), 16 points (Jan 19, 2026).
What this page cannot tell you
The same on every performance page
Box scores record what happened, not why: no injuries or health, defensive assignments, matchups, coaching decisions or play-by-play.
Game Score against the player's own usual line. How rare a gap is comes from NBA regular-season games of 2023-24 and 2024-25, checked on 2025-26.