With their 144-97 win on Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks not only beat the Miami Heat, they set an NBA record with 29 long baskets in their 51 attempts, showing them an unprecedented flurry of 3-point shots. They tied the previous 27 marks in less than 8 minutes, setting up Sam Merrill to make a record-breaking shot with 6:07 left in the fourth quarter.
The Bucks broke the record set by the Houston Rockets at home on April 7, 2019 against the Phoenix Suns.
There have been 108 previous cases in NBA history for a team trying more or less in a regular-season game. The Bucks were the first team to try 50 3s and shoot 50% or better on those attempts (they scored 56.9% on Tuesday). With the help of ESPN statistics and information, what were the most interesting numbers to stay away from this display of long distance shooting?
• 12: According to research from the Elias Sports Bureau, Bucks holds the record for most 3s, as well as 12 different 3-pointers. The Bucks were led on 10 shots from a 3-point gap in Jewish Holiday’s 6 baskets, followed by Donte Divinsenzo 5-of-6.
• 9: Among all these buckets made by so many bucks, perhaps the biggest surprise was the genius Anteatou oun Nmpo who finished the night with just 9 points, even though he was only playing for 24 minutes. Ruler was the only Milwaukee player not to record a two-time MVP 3-pointer, although he made two attempts. The previous time was scored by Antatok oun Nampo under two digits. December 22, 2018, was also against the hit in 94-87 road damage.
• 1: The Guinness did not score 3, but his brother Thanasis made his first 3-pointer, having previously scored 0-of-11 from outside the arc earlier in his 23-career NBA games on Tuesday.
• 30 or bust? Brian Forbes hit the 29th and the last 3-pointer with 3:30 left, so it wasn’t like the clock was ticking on Milwaukee’s 3s rain. But the Forbes bucket was also Milwaukee’s last attempt of the night.
• 47: Elias also noted that the Bucks’ 47-point win over the Heats equals the third-largest period of victory over the defending conference champions:
Biggest win vs. Defending Conference Champion
December 1986, Supersonics Def. Rockets, plus-56
November 2019, Mavericks Def. Warriors, plus-48
December 2020, Bucks Def. Heat, plus -47
December 2003, Grizzlies Def. Mesh, plus -47.
April 1999, Magic Def. Bulls, plus -47.
Tuesday’s defeat also tied the second-largest margin in hit history, with their 47-point defeat to the Lakers in November 1988, leaving the Cavaliers just 68-point behind on December 17, 1991. Those 144 bucks points were also the second given by Miami in franchise history, with Cleveland scoring just 148 in the 1991 game.
So what did Heat do with all that bad news on the court and the record book? Only they could:
good night pic.twitter.com/FFAPkBRzW
– Miami Heat (Miamiheat) December 30, 2020
.
