Miami, FL — Kris Kringle must of left a little something extra in the Milwaukee Christmas socks.
On Tuesday night, they set the NBA record for draining 3’s in a game.
Milwaukee made an NBA-record 29 3-pointers in their 144-97 win over the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. The Bucks shot 29 for 51 from beyond the arc.
“Some nights, the basketball gods are with you a little bit,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. It’s probably one of those nights.”
The previous record for 3’s in a game was 27, set by the Houston Rockets against the Phoenix Suns on April 7, 2019. The Bucks’ previous most was 22 from downtown, against Sacramento on Nov. 4, 2018.
They tied the previous mark of 27, the record-breaker was made by Sam Merrill, who got the 28th 3-pointer with 6:07 remaining in the game, giving Milwaukee a 131-86 lead.
The Bucks set the tone early and jumped out to a 10-0 after minute in the game, 21-3 after about four minutes to play. Milwaukee controlled the tempo throughout the contest.
“It looked like they have been thinking about this game for 80 days,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The Bucks utilized 13 players and 12 made at least one 3-pointer — the only exception being Giannis Antetokounmpo. Khris Middleton had four 3’s and scored 25 points, Jrue Holiday made six 3’s in his 24-point night and Donte DiVincenzo was 5-for-6 from beyond the arc to finish with 17 points.
“I knew we were shooting well,” said Bucks center Brook Lopez, who made three 3’s. “I didn’t know we were anything close to that.”
The Bucks led 46-26 after one quarter and 83-51 at the break. Milwaukee shot 63.3 percent from the floor, including 16 of 27 from down town (59.3 percent) in the half.
Tyler Herro scored 23 points for Miami. Jimmy Butler missed the game with a sprained ankle; it’s unknown if he’ll play Wednesday when the Heat and Bucks play again.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to have to come out with a lot more energy or we’re going to get embarrassed again,” Herro said.
It was the biggest road win in Milwaukee history, topping the 39-point margin at New York on April 10, 1987. The 47-point margin matched the second-worst loss in Heat history.
There had been 108 previous instances in NBA history of a team attempting 50 or more 3s in a regular-season game. The Bucks were the first team to attempt 50 3s and shoot 50% or better on those attempts (they made 56.9% on Tuesday).
Antetokounmpo had a rather easy night, playing 24 minutes and providing nine points, six assists and six rebounds. He missed both of his 3-point attempts.
The onslaught continued through three quarters as the Bucks led 115-75, thanks to 24 3-treys to that point.
Milwaukee emptied its bench in the fourth quarter, just cruised through the fourth to victory.
