The Rockets and Mike D'Antoni finally set the record for 3-point attempts
The Houston Rockets were one of the first NBA teams to discover the basic math of “3 > 2” and embrace taking as many three-point attempts as possible. With analytics-inclined general managew Daryl Morey as their guide, the Rockets have obtained plenty of perimeter-minded offensive players and empowered them to let shots fly. There have been plenty of nights on which those shots haven’t gone down, but it’s more or less been an effective course of action. With Mike D’Antoni taking over as head coach this season, there was never any question that the approach would continue for at least one more year.
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That love affair with the three-pointer reached a new high in Friday night’s 117-104 win at the Sacramento Kings. The Rockets didn’t just take a lot of threes — they set a new NBA record for attempts in a single game with 50 shots from beyond the arc (shot chart via PBT). The Dallas Mavericks set the previous record of 49 way back in March 1996 in a game that saw George McCloud take 20 by himself.
The Rockets started very hot from three-point range by making eight of 16 attempts in a big 38-19 first quarter. Houston took only 10 in the second quarter but made six, good enough for a 14-of-26 showing in the half.
A distinct downturn in form in the second half did not stop the Rockets from firing away. They went just 7-of-24 after the break, although the Kings never mounted enough of a comeback to dig too far into Houston’s early advantage.
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It’s hard to say exactly what made this game so three-focused for Houston. The hot early start may have pushed the Rockets in that direction, but it’s not clear why it became so extreme. They attempted only 35 two-point field goals on the night, three players attempted at least 11, and Eric Gordon managed 12 by himself in only 29 minutes.
It’s tempting to say that this record won’t last long, but the fact that the previous one lasted 20 years suggests it’s very hard to take 50 three-pointers in one game. On the other hand, 10 of the 18 45-attempt games in NBA history have occurred in 2016. Perhaps we’ll see bigger numbers as three-pointers become even more popular around the league.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
