March 2, 1963, is famously known in NBA history as the day Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points. Interestingly, March 2, 2025, marked another unique statistical event.
The game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs concluded with a score of 146-132. This wasn`t just another final score; it was the 3,159th unique final score in NBA history, and the 14th of the season – a `scorigami`.
The increasing offensive trends in the NBA have led to scores that were previously unheard of in its almost 80-year history. Hakob Chalikyan recognized the significance of these unique scores and decided to ensure they didn`t go unnoticed.
Inspired by the NFL scorigami phenomenon, Chalikyan launched an NBA version in September. His website, scorigaminba.com, catalogs over 70,000 NBA scores, including those from the Basketball Association of America (1946-1949), which later merged to form the NBA.
The X account, NBA_Scorigami, shares daily score updates, noting the frequency of each score and when it last occurred. Even NBA teams like the Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, and Utah Jazz follow the account.
Chalikyan, 25, points out that achieving a new final score is more common in the NBA compared to the NFL (which has 1,091 unique scores). This made him curious about the potential popularity of an NBA scorigami tracker. With over 35,000 followers, it`s clear that fans appreciate these unusual score combinations.
Chalikyan explained to ESPN that the appeal lies in observing how different eras produce distinct score patterns. He believes the current high-scoring era will continue to generate unprecedented final scores, which is a key part of the fascination for fans.
The concept of scorigami originated in the mid-2010s. Jon Bois, from SB Nation`s Secret Base, introduced the term in his `Chart Party` series in September 2014, initially spelling it `scoragami`.
Bois defined `scoragami` as the creation of a final score in a football game that has never occurred before.
Following his initial post, Bois mentioned in a 2021 SportsCenter interview with ESPN`s Mina Kimes that people began highlighting unique scores to him on social media.
Two years later, he expanded the concept into a video, analyzing NFL score charts and highlighting interesting unique scores. In 2017, Dave Mattingly created a Twitter account with a bot to automatically track and post these scores.
Mattingly explained that he spent a weekend developing the algorithm and learning the Twitter API to automate the posting process. He launched it without expecting much attention.
Now, eight years later, the NFL scorigami account has nearly 500,000 followers and has carved out a niche for fans who enjoy celebrating unique game scores. Andrew Merriman developed a companion website that charts every NFL score, independent of Bois and the X account.
Merriman and Mattingly have communicated, with Mattingly offering some coding assistance. Merriman acknowledges Bois`s original video as the inspiration for his website.
Merriman told ESPN that the appeal of a new unique score is universal across sports, making the NBA version equally engaging.
Chalikyan, aware of NFL scorigami, wondered about the absence of an NBA equivalent. Despite previous attempts by others, he felt he could create a comprehensive version.
He started collecting NBA game data about three years ago, but initial technical limitations put the project on hold.
Chalikyan explained that he paused the project for a few years. However, last summer, with improved technical skills, he decided to revisit the data and build the website. Unfortunately, he realized he had lost all the original data.
Starting over, Chalikyan wrote code to gather data from NBA.com using its API – a tool allowing software to exchange data. He systematically collected scores year by year and team by team, storing them in a database. He described this automated process as taking about three days.
With the data compiled, he proceeded to build the website. The X account was created soon after, but he discovered someone else had launched a similar account just weeks before, already gaining a significant following.
Ethan Peterson had independently conceived a similar idea, inspired by the NFL scorigami account. He initially planned to manage it manually but lacked the automation expertise.
Peterson announced the launch of the NBA scorigami X account on September 16, 2024. Ten days later, Chalikyan contacted him, proposing a collaboration.
Peterson welcomed Chalikyan`s offer, recognizing the value of Chalikyan`s automated bot for the already popular account.
Peterson acknowledged Chalikyan`s backend coding expertise for database management and automated posting. Chalikyan utilizes the X API to ensure scores are automatically tweeted within minutes of a game`s conclusion.
Chalikyan explained that the bot queries his database to check score history and automatically generates tweets indicating if a score is new and how often it has occurred.
Despite the automation, occasional errors occur, such as the bot mistakenly posting a Rising Stars game score. Chalikyan mentioned that they manually double-check and correct any errors. The system, including the bot, database, and website, is now synchronized for daily updates.
The NBA scorigami website initially appears as a dense collection of data points. Users can filter by year to observe scoring trends over time.
While pinpointing exact eras is challenging, Chalikyan has observed patterns in scorigami frequency throughout NBA history.
He noted periods of high scoring in the past, sometimes coinciding with scorigamis linked to fast-paced offenses from eras like the 1980s. However, he believes recent scorigamis are largely due to the overall increase in offensive output in the current NBA.
Pace, measured as possessions per 48 minutes, is a crucial factor. Higher pace generally leads to more points. Some of the most unique scores are linked to periods of high pace in NBA history.
The NBA`s highest pace seasons were predominantly before 1986-87, with 1973-74 leading at 107.8 possessions per 48 minutes. The highest in this century is 2019-20 at 100.3, ranking 16th overall.
Only one of the five NBA scorigamis involving a team scoring 170+ points happened this century: a 176-175 Kings victory over the Clippers in 2023. The Pacers recently came close with a 162-109 win over the Wizards, another scorigami.
While pace doesn`t directly cause new scores, it expands the possibilities. On March 30, two games resulted in new final scores, the first time this happened on the same day since April 14, 2024.
Scorigamis vary widely. The highest scoring scorigami is a 1983 triple-overtime game ending 186-184 between the Pistons and Nuggets. The lowest is a 1950 game where the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons beat the Minneapolis Lakers 19-18.
Scorigamis add an intriguing dimension to seemingly ordinary final scores. While they might initially be hard to spot, Chalikyan`s work provides a tool to identify these unique moments, adding a new layer to NBA history.
Just consider March 2, 1963. The score of Wilt`s 100-point game? 169-147. Another scorigami.
