Game Score Calculator
Calculate basketball game score using John Hollinger's formula. Evaluate a player's overall performance in a single game by combining points, rebounds, assists, and more into one comprehensive metric.
Field goals
Free throws
Rebounding
Other stats
Results update automatically as you type
Results
Enter statistics above to calculate Game Score
How to Calculate Game Score
Game Score is a basketball statistic developed by John Hollinger that evaluates a player's overall performance in a single game. It combines all major statistical categories into one comprehensive metric, providing a quick assessment of how well a player performed.
Game Score Formula:
Component Weights:
- Points scored (+1.0 each)
- Field goals made (+0.4 each)
- Field goal attempts (-0.7 each)
- Missed free throws (-0.4 each)
- Offensive rebounds (+0.7 each)
- Defensive rebounds (+0.3 each)
- Steals (+1.0 each)
- Assists (+0.7 each)
- Blocks (+0.7 each)
- Personal fouls (-0.4 each)
- Turnovers (-1.0 each)
Example:
28 PTS, 10 FG, 15 FGA, 6 FT, 8 FTA, 3 ORB, 5 DRB, 2 STL, 5 AST, 1 BLK, 4 PF, 2 TOV:
GS = 28 + 4 - 10.5 - 0.8 + 2.1 + 1.5 + 2 + 3.5 + 0.7 - 1.6 - 2 = 26.9
Understanding Game Score
Why Use Game Score
- ✓ Combines all major statistics into one metric
- ✓ Quick way to evaluate single-game performance
- ✓ Rewards positive actions and penalizes negative ones
- ✓ Easy to compare performances across games
- ✓ Considers both offense and defense
Game Score Benchmarks
What Game Score Measures
Game Score captures a player's complete stat line in a single number. Here's what each component represents:
Positive Contributors
- • Points: Direct scoring contribution
- • Field goals made: Shooting success
- • Rebounds: Possession control (offensive weighted higher)
- • Assists: Playmaking and ball movement
- • Steals: Defensive pressure and turnovers forced
- • Blocks: Rim protection and shot deterrence
Negative Contributors
- • Field goal attempts: Penalizes inefficient shooting
- • Missed free throws: Wasted scoring opportunities
- • Personal fouls: Discipline issues and giving opponent chances
- • Turnovers: Possession loss and wasted opportunities
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Game Score?
Game Score was developed by basketball statistician John Hollinger as a simplified way to evaluate player performance in a single game. It's designed to be easier to calculate than Player Efficiency Rating (PER) while still providing meaningful insights into overall performance.
What's considered a good Game Score?
A Game Score of 10 or higher indicates a solid performance, 20+ is a great game, and 30+ represents an elite, standout performance. The highest Game Scores in NBA history are typically in the 40-50 range for truly historic performances.
Can Game Score be negative?
Yes, Game Score can be negative if a player has a particularly poor performance with lots of missed shots, turnovers, and fouls relative to their positive contributions. Negative Game Scores indicate the player hurt their team more than they helped.
How is Game Score different from PER?
Game Score evaluates single-game performance without pace adjustments or league averages, making it simpler to calculate and understand. PER (Player Efficiency Rating) is adjusted for pace and normalized to league average, making it better for season-long comparisons but more complex.