The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz made it so often from 3 that the two teams tied an NBA record on Friday night.
Both teams combined to make 44 three-pointers, making 22 apiece, in the Suns’ 134-126 win over the Jazz. Phoenix shot 22-for-45 (49%) from behind the arc, while Utah was 22-for-39 (56%).
The 44 3s tied a record originally set in the Sacramento Kings’ 176-175 dual victory against the Los Angeles Clippers on February 23, 2023. The Clippers made 26 3s (26-for-45 shooting), while the Kings hit 18 from long range (18-for-41).
However, neither the Suns nor Jazz set the league record for most three-pointers made by one team in one game. The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks share that figure with 29.
Devin Booker shot 6-of-13 from long range, giving him 34 points with eight assists. Tyus Jones and Royce O’Neale each knocked down five threes. Kevin Durant hit just two threes, but scored 30 points while shooting 12-for-12 from the free throw line. Jones also recorded eleven assists.
Jusuf Nurkić, Monté Morris and Josh Okogie each missed their only three-point attempts.
For Utah, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins and Jordan Clarkson each hit four three-pointers. Clarkson led the Jazz with 23 points, followed by Collins who scored 22 points with six rebounds and six assists. Collins tied the record when he hit a 3 with 5.2 seconds left.
Collin Sexton shot 0-for-3 on his three-point attempts.
In the 2023 Clippers-Kings shootout, Kawhi Leonard hit six three-pointers for Los Angeles, followed by Paul George, Nicolas Batum and Norman Powell who had five each. Malik Monk matched Leonard with six threes for Sacramento.
Utah’s Walker Kessler signaled what kind of night it could be, making his first two 3-pointers of the season to start the game.
“If nothing else, tonight highlights the skill level in the NBA these days,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “That was a decent shooting performance from both teams. … A lot of really high-level shooting tonight from both groups.”
