Bucks set NBA record for 3’s, roll past Heat 144-97
MIAMI » On Sunday, the Milwaukee Bucks endured their worst 3-point effort in just over a year.
On Tuesday, they set the NBA record for 3’s in a game.
Go figure.
The Bucks made a record 29 3-pointers in their 14497 romp past the reigning Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat on Tuesday night. They shot 29 for 51 from beyond the arc, two nights after going 7 for 38 in a loss to New York.
Milwaukee used 13 players and 12 made at least one 3-pointer — the only person who didn’t get onto that list being two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, in what will go down as nothing more than an interesting footnote in Bucks history. Khris Middleton had four 3’s on his way to 25 points, Jrue Holiday made six 3’s in his 24-point night and Donte DiVincenzo was 5-for-6 from deep to finish with 17 points.
Antetokounmpo had only nine points. Didn’t matter much. Everything else was stat night for Milwaukee.
The record-breaker was made by Sam Merrill, who got the 28th 3-pointer with 6:07 remaining, giving the Bucks a 131-86 lead.
The previous record for 3’s in a game was 27, set by the Houston Rockets against the Phoenix Suns on April 7, 2019. Milwaukee’s previous most was 22, against Sacramento on Nov. 4, 2018. The most previously allowed in a game by Miami was 24, on Feb. 5 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Tyler Herro scored 23 points for the Heat. Miami’s Jimmy Butler missed the game with a sprained right ankle.
It was the biggest road win in Bucks 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; they lost 138-91 to Pat Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers in the eighth game of Miami’s first season.
CELTICS 116, PACERS 111 » Jayson Tatum scored 27 points and Boston rallied from 17 points down in the third quarter to beat Indiana.
Jaylen Brown scored 20 for the Celtics, who had a 33-18 scoring edge in the final quarter.
The Pacers led 88-71 in the third quarter and were still ahead by 11 entering the fourth, when Tatum scored 14 points and the Celtics surged to a 109-100 lead.
Victor Oladipo, who sat out the previous game after scoring 22 points in each of his other starts, had 20 of his 24 through three quarters for the Pacers. T. J. Warren scored 15 of his 17 points in the third quarter.
76ERS 100, RAPTORS 93 » Joel Embiid had 29 points, 16 rebounds and one scare when he brief ly left the game with an injury, leading Philadelphia past winless Toronto.
KNICKS 95, CAVALIERS 86 » Julius Randle had 28 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his first tripledouble in two years, leading New York to a victory over Cleveland.
MAGIC 118, THUNDER 107 » Nikola Vucevic had a seasonhigh 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Orlando beat Oklahoma City.
BULLS 115, WIZARDS 107 » Zach LaVine scored 23 points, including nine straight in the third quarter, and Coby White added 18 to lead Chicago to its first victory of the season.
Chicago improved to 1- 4 while Washington fell to 0- 4, its worst start since beginning the 2012-13 season with 12 straight losses.
CLIPPERS 124, T’WOLVES 101 » Lou Williams led seven Clippers in double figures with 20 points and Los Angeles routed Minnesota in a game missing stars for both teams.
SUNS 111, PELICANS 86 » Jae Crowder scored a seasonhigh 21 points, Cameron Johnson added 18 and the Phoenix Suns rolled to a win over New Orleans.