Wembanyama, Luka, SGA Lead 40-Point Surge

Merlin sees a scoring fever sweeping the league: 203 40-point games in 2022-23 shattered Wilt’s old mark of 142, and less than a week into 2025-26 there are already 12 such nights — a pace that would reach about 351. The article ranks those dozen performances, highlighting standouts from Victor Wembanyama’s opening-night masterpiece to Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Stephen Curry, Giannis and Aaron Gordon, and notes how efficiency, team outcomes and MVP chatter color each feat. Merlin warns that early-season bursts can be misleading; evolving offenses, star usage and young scorers make more high-scoring nights likelier, but injuries and load management will temper the pace. If Wembanyama and the usual MVP contenders stay healthy, fans should expect many more headline nights — though not every hot streak will last.