Mavericks and Warriors combine for NBA-record 48 3-pointers as Klay Thompson faces off against former team

The Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors combined for an NBA-record 48 3-pointers on Sunday as Dallas cruised to a 143-133 victory in San Francisco.

The previous mark of 44 had just been tied by the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns two nights earlier, and was originally set by the Sacramento Kings and LA Clippers in a 176-175 triple overtime game in February 2023. The Warriors also made a 18 franchise-record first-half 3-pointers on Sunday, and the game’s 27 3-pointers (tied for most in franchise history) were the the most ever achieved by an NBA team in a loss. Previously, teams were 11-0 when making 27 or more 3-pointers.

The offense got going early and often, as the Mavericks gutted the normally stout Warriors defense for 46 points in the first quarter and took an 81-74 lead into halftime. Notably, the Warriors scored just 90 total points in their previous game, a loss to the Houston Rockets.

Dallas’ offense was fueled by a masterful performance from Luka Doncic, who finished with 45 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds on 6-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. Klay Thompson had another strong performance against his former team in his second trip to the Chase Center on the road, scoring a season-high 29 points on 7-of-11 from deep. He also took the record-setting shot from the right wing.

“It still warms my heart to see all the No. 11 jerseys and it still makes me feel incredibly grateful for the time I spent here. Legendary stuff,” Thompson said of his return to the Bay after the game. “Now is the time to do legendary things in Dallas. I really believe in this team. We have all the ingredients to be truly special.”

Golden State was led by Stephen Curry’s seven three-pointers, while Andrew Wiggins was the top man with 29, 5 of 9 from long range. Draymond Green made five 3-pointers in a game for the first time since April’s victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Here’s the breakdown of both teams’ historic three-point shots:

Mavericks

warriors

NBA teams He entered Sunday averaging 37.5 3-point attempts per game, the most in league history and an increase of 2.4 per game from last season. For reference, the increase was only 0.9 from 2022-23 to 2023-24 and teams actually made fewer three-pointers in 2022-23 than in 2021-22. The proliferation of three-point shots this season essentially meant that the previous record had no chance of surviving, and this one will immediately be in jeopardy.

We saw the opposite side of the coin on Friday, when the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets combined to miss 75 three-pointers, the most in a regulation game.

That makes it clear that teams are committed to shooting 3-pointers at a record pace, whether they go in or not.