The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz let it fly from 3 so many times that the two teams tied an NBA record on Friday night.
Both teams combined for 44 made 3-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 went 22 of 39 (56%).
The 44 3s tied a record originally set in the Sacramento Kings‘ 176–175 double-overtime win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 23, 2023. The Clippers made 26 3s (shooting 26 for 45), while the Kings hit 18 from long range (going 18 for 41).
However, neither the Suns nor Jazz set the league record for most 3-pointers made by one team in a single game. The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks share that mark with 29.
Devin Booker shot 6 for 13 from long range, lifting him to 34 points with eight assists. Tyus Jones and Royce O’Neale each knocked down five 3s. Kevin Durant only hit two 3s, but scored 30 points while shooting 12 for 12 from the free-throw line. Jones also notched 11 assists.
Jusuf Nurkić, Monté Morris and Josh Okogie each missed their lone 3-point attempts.
For Utah, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins and Jordan Clarkson each hit four 3-pointers. Clarkson led the Jazz with 23 points, followed by Collins scoring 22 with six rebounds and six assists. Collins tied the record when he hit a 3 with 5.2 seconds remaining in the game.
Collin Sexton shot 0 for 3 on his 3-point attempts.
In the Clippers-Kings 2023 shootout, Kawhi Leonard hit six 3-pointers for Los Angeles, followed by Paul George, Nicolas Batum and Norman Powell each getting five. Malik Monk matched Leonard with six 3s for Sacramento.
Utah’s Walker Kessler indicated what kind of night it might be, making his first two 3-pointers of the season to begin the game.
“If nothing else, tonight highlights the skill level in the NBA these days,” said Jazz coach Will Hardy. “That was quite a shooting performance by both teams. … A lot of really high-level shotmaking tonight from both groups.”
