Who scored the most 3-pointers in NBA history?

It didn’t happen all at once, but eventually, several analytical minds achieved something so astounding that it changed basketball forever.

A 3 is worth 50% more than a 2. As a result, the record for most 3-pointers made in an NBA game was forever in jeopardy.

Today, the game is radically different than it was just ten years ago.

This generation of NBA players all grew up learning to shoot from distance and while the aesthetics of a game with so many 3-point attempts can be debated, there’s no denying how much fun it is when a player or team warms up and hits several long-range shots in a row.

So we’re highlighting the best 3-point shooting performances of all time by players and teams. And, unsurprisingly, we start with a Golden State Warrior.

Most 3-pointers in a game

14 – Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors (October 29, 2018)

It’s the other half of the Splash Brothers who hold the record for 3-pointers in a single game, something Thompson probably reminds Steph Curry of from time to time.

What’s amazing about Thompson’s performance is that he could have made even more 3s if the Chicago Bulls had kept the game close. But Thompson helped make sure that didn’t happen, hitting an incredible 10 3s in the first half as the Warriors led 92-50 – at halftime.

Thompson made four more 3-pointers in the second half to break Curry’s single-game record of 13. With the huge lead in the second half, Thompson only played 27 minutes, meaning he hit a 3 for every two minutes he was on the court. There’s a reason he’s considered one of the best shooters of all time.

• 13 – Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (November 7, 2016)
• 13 – Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls (November 23, 2019)
• 13 – Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers (February 26, 2023)
• 12 – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (January 7, 2003)
• 12 – Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (February 27, 2016/February 27, 2025/April 1, 2025/December 14, 2025)
• 12 – Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors (February 24, 2023/February 6, 2023)
• 12 – Donyell Marshall, Toronto Raptors (March 13, 2005)
• 12 – Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings (December 16, 2023)
• 12 – Trey Murphy, New Orleans Pelicans (February 4, 2026)

Most 3-pointers in a playoff game

12 – Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers (June 1, 2021)

Lillard has put together a roster of big playoff moments for the Portland Trail Blazers, including two series-winning buzzer-beaters. And his 12 3-pointers in a single game alone sit atop the playoff record books, even though they ended in a double-overtime loss that allowed the Denver Nuggets to take a 3-2 lead over the Blazers in the first round of the 2021 playoffs.

It’s impossible to pin the loss on Lillard, however. He also finished with 55 points, which is tied for fifth for most points in a playoff game. He scored 17 of his team’s 19 points in the two overtime periods and played a season-high 51 minutes.

11 – Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors (May 28, 2016)

Thompson has the second-most 3s in a playoff game, and he did it in one of the best playoff comebacks of all time. The 73-win Warriors lost in the NBA Finals, but the team came dangerously close to not making it at all. Trailing 3-2 in the series and 83-75 entering the fourth quarter of Game 6, the Warriors needed a huge fourth quarter to keep their season alive. And Thompson delivered.

He had already made six of 12 3-point attempts through three quarters, but he took it up a notch in the fourth, torching the Oklahoma City Thunder for 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting — including 5-of-6 from 3. The Warriors won the game 108-101 behind Thompson’s 41 points and closed out the Thunder in Game 7 in a series that may have shifted the balance of power in the league in ways monumental, since Kevin Durant joined the Warriors the following season.

Most 3s in a game by a Rookie

9 – Rodrigue Beaubois (March 27, 2010), Yogi Ferrell (February 3, 2017), Dalton Knecht (November 19, 2024) and Keyonte George (February 15, 2024)

Most 3s in a season

402 – Stephen Curry (2015-16)

Most 3s in a Rookie Season

206 – Keegan Murray (2022-23)

Most 3s in playoffs

98 – Stephen Curry (2014-15) and Klay Thompson (2015-16)

Most 3s in the playoffs by a rookie

48 – Tyler Herro (2019-20)

Most 3s without fail

9 – Ben Gordon (April 14, 2006/March 21, 2012), Latrell Sprewell (February 4, 2003) and Jalen Brunson (December 15, 2023)

Gordon was a goalie before his time. He would have been a great scorer off the bench in today’s NBA. He could heat up quickly and no statistic is more indicative of that than the fact that there are three games in NBA history in which a player made nine 3-pointers and missed none – Gordon has two.

His first game came in 2006 for the Bulls against the Washington Wizards, and Chicago needed every one of them to come out on top. Gordon made four of his 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and saved the most important one for last, scoring a game-winning field goal with 54 seconds remaining to give the Bulls a definitive victory in a 103-101 victory.

Gordon only equaled the record after Sprewell accomplished the feat before him. Sprewell stopped all nine of his 3-point attempts in 2003 against the Los Angeles Clippers. He finished the day with 38 points in a 105-92 victory.

And while his tenure with the Detroit Pistons didn’t go as well as his tenure with the Bulls, Gordon still had his moments. He repeated his feat of making nine 3-pointers without a miss en route to 45 points in 2012. The Denver Nuggets had the last laugh, however, as JaVale McGee made a missed free throw with five seconds remaining to lift the Nuggets to a 116-115 victory.

Most 3-pointers in a game by a team

29 – Milwaukee Bucks (December 29, 2020) and Boston Celtics (October 22, 2024)

It was the first full week of the season and the Miami Heat had just played in an NBA Finals in which the team defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 in the second round.

And while you can’t avenge a playoff series in a single regular-season game, the Bucks did everything they could to show they were a new team. They made an NBA record 29 3-pointers in a 144-97 victory. Nine of the 10 Bucks who played made at least one 3-pointer, with Jrue Holiday leading the way with six made 3-pointers.

The only Bucks player who didn’t make a 3? That would be reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed both of his attempts and only scored seven points in the game. However, he was probably OK with the 47-point win and the NBA record.

The Boston Celtics opened the 2024-25 season by raising their 18th NBA championship banner the previous spring, then beat the New York Knicks 132-109. They probably should have passed the Bucks for the most 3-pointers in a game, but ended up tying the record with 29.

At one point, the Celtics went a remarkable 29 for 48 from 3, but they missed their final 13 attempts from behind the arc. Jayson Tatum and Derrick White led the way with eight and six 3s, respectively, with the starting five contributing at least three each and 26 of 29 overall.

Most 3-point shots attempted in a game by a team

70 – Houston Rockets vs. Brooklyn Nets (January 16, 2019)

Most 3s in a playoff game by a team

25 – Cleveland Cavaliers (May 4, 2016) and Milwaukee Bucks (April 19, 2023)

It’s hard enough guarding LeBron James, but it’s nearly impossible when the team around him is hitting 3-pointers like the Cavaliers did against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2016. JR Smith led the way by hitting seven of his 13 attempts, and Kyrie Irving and James himself made four 3s each.

The Cavaliers led by 15 after one quarter and the game was never close after that. In the end, the Cavaliers took a 2-0 series lead with a 123-98 victory. The team would go on to win the championship, thanks in large part to their phenomenal outside shooting.

The Bucks tied the record in Game 2 of their first-round series with the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in 2023. Pat Connaughton knocked down six 3s, Joe Ingles went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen hit four each as Milwaukee made 25 of 49 from deep in a 138-122 victory.

Most 3s attempted in a playoff game by a team

60 – Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks (May 5, 2025)

Most 3s in a season by a team

1,457 – Boston Celtics (2024-25)

In today’s 3-point era, the Warriors’ 2022-23 record of 1,363 3s in a season was never intended to last very long. And in their 77th game of the 2024-25 season, the Boston Celtics broke that mark by going 14-for-38 in a 123-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns on April 4.

The Celtics may hold the record, but it took them a lot more shots to get there. By the end of the night of April 4, Boston had made 3,717 attempts from beyond the arc, while the 2022-23 Warriors finished with 3,540.

Most 3s attempted in a season by a team

3,955 – Boston Celtics (2024-25)

---

Like that? Follow us on Twitter to find out more.