The splash Brothers’ influence in how games are played in the NBA today has never been more highlighted as the three point shot is making its presence felt all across the league.
The Sacramento Kings joins the fray of teams that emphasize the utilization of the three point shot in game strategies. They put this to display when they faced the Golden State Warriors that day last Sunday, January 3, 2019.
The Kings attempted a total of 36 shots from three point land and made 20 of them to reset their franchise record. This is the seventh time they either tied or surpassed their franchise high in the last two years. They won five of those seven games.
The Sacramento team-high that stood for quite a while was 16, established in 1989, tied in 2004, and lasted until the 2015-16 season. Since then, the team had three games with 16 treys made, two with 18 and one with 19 during 2017 and 2018.
The 55.6% success rate was also the highest in games where they had 30 or more three-point attempts in a game.
Buddy Hield led the young Kings by making eight of his 13 attempts while Justin Jackson is tailing him with his 5 out of 7.
Meanwhile, the Warriors were their usual selves from long distance during this 127-123 win. They made 21 three out of 47 attempts, a 44.7% shooting rate.
The 21 makes tied their fourth most in a game in team history. They had 21 in other four occasions, 22 twice and 24, the highest ever in team history, last October, 2018.
Stephen Curry, as expected, led the Warriors’ three point barrage making 10 of 20 attempts. He was backed up by Klay Thompson with 3 of 6 and Kevin Durant with 3 of 7. It was the 11th game with 10 or more 3 point shots made for Curry. Only two others, Klay Thompson with 4 and JR Smith with 3, had multiple games with 10 treys or more.
Curry also hiked his career three point field goals made to 2,277 after that game to surpass Kyle Korver for fourth most all-time, trailing Ray Allen (2,973), Reggie Miller (2,560), and Jason Terry (2,282). He and Korver are exchanging downtown shots as they are swapping ownership of that fourth place slot as of this writing.
The contention that Stephen Curry is a transformative player is becoming slowly but surely validated as he was the one to the use of three point shot to its fullest which Golden State embraced and incorporated in their system.
Imagine this: In the 1979-80 season, when the three point shot distance was adopted, 7 of 22 teams made fewer than 40 three point shots during the entire 82-game season. The Warriors and Kings combined for 41 to reset the all-time record high for one game.
All in all, 13 teams have recorded at least a game with 20 or more three point shots made this season: Houston six times (20 twice, 21, 22 twice, and 26); Boston thrice (21, 22, and 24); Detroit twice (both 20); Golden State twice (21 and 24); Milwaukee twice (21 and 22), Atlanta once (22), and Brooklyn, Charlotte, Minnesota, New York, Orlando, Sacramento, and Utah once (20).
The Hawks, Celtics, Bucks, Timberwolves and the Jazz have also reset their respective single game franchise high while Charlotte, and New York tied theirs.
The 26 of Houston is now the all-time single game high while Boston and Golden State’s 24 is tied for third, along with Denver (twice), Houston and Brooklyn. The Cavaliers’ 25 in 2017 stand second best.
By: ARMANDO M. BOLISLIS, stats from Basketball Reference.com and NBA.com
