Rockets break their own single season 3-point record

The Houston Rockets broke the single season 3-point record for the second consecutive year against the San Antonio Spurs.

NBA teams are pouring in 3-pointers at a record pace, and the Houston Rockets are leading the charge.

Houston surpassed the 2015-16 Warriors 3-point record last year, making 1,181 3-pointers.

Houston has made and attempted even more 3s this season, as a triple from James Harden in San Antonio gave the Rockets their 1,182nd 3-pointer of the season.

James Harden drills it from deep!

With that triple the @HoustonRockets set a new NBA single season record for 3-pointers made! #Rockets pic.twitter.com/nNDHZdq3UN

— NBA (@NBA) April 1, 2018

Ironically, the Rockets broke the 3-point record in perhaps their worst shooting performance of the year. Houston scored a season low 83 points against the Spurs. Furthermore, the Rockets failed to make a single 3-pointer in the first quarter, which is only the third time that Houston has failed to make a 3 in any quarter this year.

Lastly, the Rockets shot just 7 of 31 from 3-point range. Houston failed to make nine 3-pointers in a game for the first time since Mar. 31, 2017, almost exactly a year from Sunday’s game, according to Kris M. Gardner of the Houston Roundball Review.

The Rockets are averaging 15.4 made 3s per game on 42.3 attempts, good enough for a 36.4 3-point percentage. James Harden leads Houston, and the league, in total 3-pointers made at 233. Eric Gordon isn’t too far behind, as he ranks seventh in the NBA with 189 triples. Trevor Ariza and Chris Paul are also in the top 50 in 3-pointers made, despite the fact that they’ve both missed at least 13 games.

League-wide trend

Houston isn’t the only team that is setting 3-point records, they’re just leading the trend. According to ESPN, NBA teams have set a league wide 3-point record for the sixth consecutive season.

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The NBA passed its 3-point total from last season last Friday and is 8 percent ahead of last year’s pace.

Last season, 18 teams made at least 9 3-pointers per game. This season, 18 teams are making at least 10 3-pointers per game and 26 are making at least 9 3s. Mike D’Antoni‘s Suns led the league in the 2004-05 season with 9.7 made 3s per game. They would rank just 22nd in made 3-pointers in today’s game and just 26th in attempts.

When Mike D’Antoni had his Suns teams playing small ball and spacing the floor with multiple shooters, many basketball purists assumed the style was just a fad. Or at the very least, they didn’t think it would be successful.

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Now, every team is copying that style of play, and it has become nearly impossible to build a championship contender without the ability to make 3s at a high rate. The NBA has come around to D’Antoni’s way of playing basketball, and he is still leading the charge.