Larry Bird scores a career-high 60 points in New Orleans in March 12, 1985

Bird exploded on the court that night, scoring a career-high 60 points to lead Boston in a 126-115 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.(AP)
By Jesse Brooks
Published: Mar. 12, 2024 at 5:50 PM GMT+1
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – On March 12, 1985, Celtics legend Larry Bird pulled off one of his most impressive personal performances in New Orleans
Bird scored a career-high 60 points to lead Boston in a 126-115 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. He finished the game 22-for-36 from the floor and scored 32 of his total 60 points in 14 minutes in the second half.
Days prior, Celtics teammate Kevin McHale scored a franchise-record 56 points in a win over the Pistons. Bird, the ultimate competition, came into the game wanting to outsource McHale’s best.
Bird, 28, had already become an NBA Champion, MVP, and Finals MVP and further cemented his place in the history books with a 60-point game. He finished the season averaging 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game and he won the second of his three-straight MVP awards.
The game was one of 12 “home games” the Atlanta Hawks played in New Orleans in the 1984-85 season as the NBA wanted to maintain a presence in the market after the Jazz left for Utah just before the 1979-80 season.
The Hawks also hosted Jordan and the Bulls, Isiah Thomas and the Pistons, and John Stockton and the Jazz that season at UNO.
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