March 2, 1963, is famous in NBA history for Wilt Chamberlain`s 100-point game. On March 2, 2025, another interesting statistical event occurred, though less monumental than Chamberlain`s.
The game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs concluded with a score of 146-132. This marked the 3,159th unique final score in NBA history, and the 14th such score this season. This is known as a `scorigami`.
Increased scoring in the NBA recently has led to point totals never before seen in the league`s almost 80-year history. Hakob Chalikyan wanted to ensure these unique scores were recognized.
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, posts daily scores, noting how often each score has occurred and when it last happened. Even teams like the Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, and Utah Jazz follow the account.
Chalikyan, 25, noted that achieving a unique final score is more common in the NBA than in the NFL (which has 1,091 scorigamis). He wondered if an NBA version would gain popularity. With over 35,000 followers, it`s clear fans enjoy these unusual score outcomes.
`It`s interesting to see how different eras produce different score types,` Chalikyan told ESPN. `In today`s high-scoring NBA, we`re seeing unprecedented scores. This novelty is what appeals to people.`
The concept of scorigami originated in the mid-2010s. Jon Bois of SB Nation`s Secret Base, introduced the term in his `Chart Party` series in September 2014, initially as `scoragami`.
`Scoragami is a term I created for achieving a final score in a football game that has never happened before,` Bois explained.
Bois, who did not respond to interview requests, mentioned to ESPN`s Mina Kimes in a 2021 SportsCenter segment that after his post, people began sharing unique scores with him on social media.
Two years after his article, he created a video version, analyzing a chart of NFL scores and highlighting the most unusual ones. In 2017, Dave Mattingly created a Twitter bot to track all these scores.
`I spent a weekend building the algorithm and learning how to automate tweets,` he told Kimes. `I launched it, not expecting anyone to notice.`
Eight years later, the account has almost 500,000 followers, creating a community for fans of unique NFL scores. Andrew Merriman developed a separate website with a chart of every NFL score. The X account and website are independent of each other and Bois.
Merriman and Mattingly have communicated, with Mattingly assisting Merriman with code. Merriman credits Bois`s original video as the inspiration for his website, despite never speaking to him directly.
`Discovering a new unique score in any sport is exciting,` Merriman told ESPN. `The NBA version is just as captivating.`
Chalikyan, aware of NFL scorigami, questioned why an NBA equivalent didn`t exist. While others had tried, Chalikyan believed he could create a comprehensive version.
He started collecting NBA game data about three years ago. However, he lacked the skills to build and publish a website at the time.
The scorigami project was paused.
`I put it aside for a few years,` Chalikyan said. `But last summer, before the season, I realized I had the technical skills to revisit the data and build a website. Unfortunately, I had lost all the data.`
Chalikyan restarted from scratch.
He wrote code to access NBA.com`s API (application programming interface) – `rules enabling software communication and data exchange,` according to IBM – to gather data.
The process was `quite automated` and took three days, pulling scores year by year and team by team into a private database.
After data collection, he focused on website development.
The X account followed, but someone else had already launched a similar account.
`I created an account and found another one with about 18,000 followers, launched a couple of weeks earlier. I was surprised.`
Ethan Peterson also had the idea for an NBA scorigami account, inspired by the NFL version. He initially planned manual updates but lacked automation expertise.
Peterson announced the NBA scorigami X account launch on September 16, 2024. Ten days later, Chalikyan contacted him, sharing his project and idea for collaboration.
`Hakob messaged me about collaborating, mentioning his own project,` Peterson told ESPN. `I thought it was a great idea to use his bot to automate posting on my already established account.`
Peterson saw it as an opportunity to showcase Chalikyan`s coding skills, leveraging the existing follower base of his account.
Chalikyan manages `the backend` – coding for the database and automated posting. Using X`s API, the bot automatically tweets game results within five minutes of the final score.
`The bot checks my database to see how often a score has occurred and tweets accordingly,` he explained.
Mistakes happen, like when the bot posted a Rising Stars game score during All-Star Weekend. `That was unexpected, but we fixed it,` Chalikyan said.
Chalikyan and Peterson manually double-check and correct scores when needed. The bot, database, and website are synchronized, updating daily.
The NBA scorigami website initially appears as a dense collection of data, with colored dots representing scores. Users can filter by year to analyze scoring trends.
While era-specific patterns are subtle, Chalikyan has observed trends in scorigami frequency.
`There`s a period where scoring was also high,` he said. `Sometimes scorigamis and high scores from this year have occurred once or twice before around 1980, often from fast-paced offenses. However, many of this year`s scorigamis are due to increased offensive efficiency and higher scoring.`
Pace, possessions per 48 minutes, is key. Higher pace means more points. Some extreme unique scores correlate with pace.
Ten of the highest pace seasons were pre-1986-87, with 1973-74 leading at 107.8. The highest this century is 2019-20 at 100.3, 16th overall.
Only one of five NBA scorigamis with a 170+ point team total is from this century: Sacramento Kings` 176-175 win over the LA Clippers in 2023. The Indiana Pacers recently scored 162 points against the Washington Wizards for another scorigami.
Pace trends don`t directly cause new scores, but they increase the probability. On March 30, two games resulted in new scores, the first time since April 14, 2024.
Scorigamis vary widely.
The highest score is a 1983 triple-overtime game: Detroit Pistons 186-184 Denver Nuggets. The lowest was in 1950: Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 19-18 Minneapolis Lakers.
Scorigamis add intrigue to seemingly ordinary final scores, though they might be initially hard to spot. Chalikyan`s work helps identify these scores, adding a new dimension to NBA history.
Consider March 2, 1963.
Wilt`s 100-point game final score? 169-147. A scorigami.
