How this instrument works
Game Score (GmSc), created by basketball analyst John Hollinger, weights every major box-score category and sums them into one number: points and rebounds add value, missed shots and turnovers subtract it, and defensive stats like steals and blocks contribute too. The full formula is GmSc = PTS + 0.4×FGM − 0.7×FGA − 0.4×(FTA−FTM) + 0.7×OREB + 0.3×DREB + STL + 0.7×AST + 0.7×BLK − 0.4×PF − TOV.
The weights aren't derived from a regression against wins or point differential — Hollinger built them by hand, calibrated so the resulting scale roughly tracks how a box score 'feels.' On his own published scale, a Game Score around 10 is an average performance, the high teens to 20s is a very good game, and 40 or more is the territory of historic single-game outbursts — the kind of line that leads every recap the next morning.
Because it's a single-game snapshot with no adjustment for pace, opponent strength, or minutes played, Game Score is best used exactly the way it was designed: as a same-night gut-check on one performance, not as a tool for ranking players across a season or across eras. For those broader comparisons, metrics like PER (also developed by Hollinger) build in pace and league adjustments that Game Score deliberately leaves out in favor of speed and simplicity.
- Enter the box-score totals: Points, Field goals made/attempted, Free throws made/attempted.
- Enter Offensive rebounds and Defensive rebounds separately — they're weighted differently.
- Enter Steals, Assists, and Blocks — all three add to the score.
- Enter Personal fouls and Turnovers — both subtract from the score.
- Read Game Score (GmSc) beneath the inputs, shown to four decimal places.
Worked example — 30 points, 11-of-20 shooting box score
Enter 30 Points, 11 field goals made on 20 attempted, 6 free throws made on 8 attempted, 2 offensive and 6 defensive rebounds, 2 steals, 5 assists, 1 block, 2 fouls, and 3 turnovers. Term by term: 30 + 0.4×11 − 0.7×20 − 0.4×(8−6) + 0.7×2 + 0.3×6 + 2 + 0.7×5 + 0.7×1 − 0.4×2 − 3.
That's 30 + 4.4 − 14.0 − 0.8 + 1.4 + 1.8 + 2.0 + 3.5 + 0.7 − 0.8 − 3.0 = 25.2000 — a standout performance well above Hollinger's average benchmark of roughly 10, driven mainly by the 30 points and efficient-enough shooting volume.
Questions
What counts as a good Game Score?
On Hollinger's own published scale, a Game Score around 10 represents an average performance, the high teens through the 20s is a very good game (like the 25.2 in the worked example above), and 40 or higher is rare, historic single-game territory. Below 0 is possible too, for a line dominated by missed shots and turnovers with little else to offset them.
Can Game Score be negative?
Yes. A player who shoots poorly, turns the ball over often, and contributes little in rebounds, assists, steals, or blocks can post a negative Game Score, since missed field goals (−0.7 each) and turnovers (−1 each) subtract more than a modest positive contribution offsets. It's uncommon in a full starter's workload but not rare in a brief, rough outing.
Is Game Score the same as PER (Player Efficiency Rating)?
No, though both were created by John Hollinger. Game Score is a same-game, unadjusted box-score formula meant for a quick read on one performance. PER is a more involved per-minute metric that adjusts for team pace and league scoring context, designed for comparing players across a season or era rather than judging a single game.
Why are offensive and defensive rebounds weighted differently?
Offensive rebounds (weighted 0.7) are treated as more valuable than defensive rebounds (weighted 0.3) because an offensive rebound directly extends a possession and creates another scoring chance, while a defensive rebound simply ends the opponent's possession as expected. Hollinger's weighting reflects that offensive boards are the rarer, higher-impact event of the two.
Does Game Score account for the strength of the opponent faced?
No — Game Score is calculated purely from one player's own box-score line, with no adjustment for who they played against, the pace of the game, or how many minutes they were on the floor. A big Game Score against a weak opponent and an identical Game Score against an elite defense are treated exactly the same by the formula.