Okay, it might be time to move the three point line back. It’s no surprise that in this era of emphasized three-point shooting and position-less basketball that individual, franchise, combined, and season records are being broken seemingly every week. More on that at the end of this article.
List of NBA teams with Most 3-pointers in a Game
For many years, the record for the most threes in a game was set by the Orlando Magic with 23 back in 2009. That team was anchored by Dwight Howard and surrounded by Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and J.J. Redick. That record was then tied in 2013 by a James Harden-led Houston Rockets team, but the league hadn’t fully-adopted the three as the focus of their offensive schemes as they have today.
Fast forward to the Steph Curry-led Warriors and the game has completely changed from an inside-out approach to a perimeter-heavy offense. Since 2017, that record of 23 made threes made by one team has been surpassed dozens of times over.
It’s no surprise that these records were set in the last few years with the league heavily relying three-point shooting. The team that holds the record for most three-pointers in one game is the Milwaukee Bucks who hit an amazing 29 threes in 51 three point attempts (56.9%) in a blowout win against the Miami Heat.
| Rank | Threes | Team | Date | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | Milwaukee Bucks | 12/29/2020 | Miami Heat |
| 2 | 28 | Houston Rockets | 02/01/2021 | OKC Thunder |
| 2 | 28 | Utah Jazz | 02/23/2021 | Cha Hornets |
| 3 | 27 | Houston Rockets | 04/07/2019 | Read more |
| 3 | 27 | Brooklyn Nets | 02/15/2021 | Read more |
| 3 | 27 | Utah Jazz | 12/03/2021 | Bos Celtics |
| 3 | 27 | Golden State Warriors | 05/08/2021 | Read more |
| 3 | 27 | Boston Celtics | 11/05/2022 | NY Knicks |
| 3 | 27 | Golden State Warriors | 04/09/2023 | Read more |
| 9 | 26 | Houston Rockets | 12/19/2018 | Was Wizards |
| 9 | 26 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 02/08/2020 | Read more |
| 9 | 26 | Utah Jazz | 02/05/2021 | Read more |
| 9 | 26 | Utah Jazz | 04/03/2021 | Orl Magic |
| 9 | 26 | Milwaukee Bucks | 11/10/2021 | NY Knicks |
| 9 | 26 | Boston Celtics | 02/01/2023 | Brooklyn Nets |
| 9 | 26 | Golden State Warriors | 02/06/2023 | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 9 | 26 | Los Angeles Clippers | 02/24/2023 | Sacramento Kings |
| 9 | 26 | Milwaukee Bucks | 03/01/2023 | Orlando Magic |
| 18 | 25 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 03/03/2017 | Atl Hawks |
| 18 | 25 | Houston Rockets | 02/20/2020 | GS Warriors |
| 18 | 25 | Los Angeles Clippers | 08/01/2020 | NO Pelicans |
| 18 | 25 | Utah Jazz | 01/08/2021 | Mil Bucks |
| 18 | 25 | Chicago Bulls | 02/10/2021 | NO Pelicans |
| 18 | 25 | Dallas Mavericks | 02/12/2021 | NO Pelicans |
| 18 | 25 | Phoenix Suns | 04/12/2021 | Hou Rockets |
| 18 | 25 | Houston Rockets | 04/29/2021 | Read more |
| 18 | 25 | Boston Celtics | 02/15/2022 | Philly 76ers |
| 18 | 25 | Golden State Warriors | 12/03/2022 | Hou Rockets |
| 18 | 25 | Boston Celtics | 02/10/2023 | Charlotte Hornets |
View every NBA franchise’s record for most threes made in a game
Think about that: The league record for most threes made by one team sat at 23 three point field goals made for thirty years. Then in a last several seasons – since 2016 — that long-standing three-point record has been surpassed 17 times. It’s most certainly a sign of the times.
The baseline for an impressive amount of threes has shifted so much we had to raise the threshold for this list. Here’s a handful of teams that hit 23 or 24 threes and were apart of this list before the threeball revolution in the NBA took hold.
| Threes | Team | Date | Game Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Houston Rockets | 12/16/2016 | NO Pelicans |
| 24 | Denver Nuggets | 02/13/2017 | Read more |
| 24 | Boston Celtics | 11/01/2018 | Read more |
| 24 | Golden State Warriors | 01/16/2019 | NO Pelicans |
| 24 | Golden State Warriors | 10/29/2018 | Chi Bulls |
| 24 | Los Angeles Clippers | 02/06/2020 | Miami Heat |
| 24 | Phoenix Suns | 02/21/2021 | Read more |
| 24 | Portland Trailblazers | 03/01/2021 | Cha Hornets |
| 24 | Golden State Warriors | 04/14/2021 | OKC Thunder |
| 24 | Charlotte Hornets | 01/05/2022 | Det Pistons |
| 24 | Charlotte Hornets | 01/26/2022 | Ind Pacers |
| 23 | Orlando Magic | 01/13/2009 | Read more |
| 23 | Houston Rockets | 02/05/2013 | Read More |
| 23 | Detroit Pistons | 04/18/2018 | Read more |
| 23 | Charlotte Hornets | 10/23/2019 | Read more |
| 23 | Portland Trailblazers | 08/06/2020 | Read more |
Are the Houston Rockets the Modern Denver Nuggets of the 1980’s?
Off the top of your head, one would guess that the Golden State Warriors would own the record for most three pointers hit by one team in one NBA game. That team featured three of the best shooters in NBA history in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant.
The Houston Rockets are coached by coach Mike D’Antoni who has helped to popularize the current small ball trend which involves spreading the floor, attacking the basket and corner threes. That strategy helps when you have an otherworldly scorer like Harden whom is equal parts a triple threat to shoot, attack the basket, or passing the ball (okay, the latter is only likely after a couple dozen dribbles), but he’s no doubt the reason why the Rockets own the first two spots on this list.
The question is can that approach be successful after the regular season? Small ball and putting up a lot of points isn’t new; just ask the Don Nelson Denver Nuggets of the 1980’s. That team put up numbers, but rarely had any success worth mentioning. What we’re saying is though the three pointer is clearly important in today’s game, it’ll take more than launching threes to win in the NBA postseason.
The Three Ball Era
That’s not to place a magnifying glass solely on the Rockets as the entire league has prioritized the three point shot into their overall offensive (and defensive) approach to the game. We’re not sure what the inventors of the three pointer had in mind when they came up with the three-point line, but I’m sure they’re smiling watching today’s NBA.
