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3-point shooting is considered one of the important aspects of the modern-day NBA. Teams crave to have sharpshooters on their roster who can give them the advantage to outscore opponents to ease.
But even the best of shooters from the long-range struggle for consistency from time to time. Devin Booker is the latest example of this. After making a record seven 3s in Game 2 of the 2021 NBA Finals, the Phoenix Suns' star has only made 1 of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc in the two games since then.
In the Suns' Game 4 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, Booker made only three attempts from the 3-point line and failed to convert all of them. Despite his struggles from downtown, he had a high-scoring game, thanks to his lethal mid-range and free-throw shooting that helped him compensate.
Apart from Booker, numerous retired as well as active players have put up high-scoring games despite not making a single 3-pointer during the course of an NBA Finals game.
We list five active players with the most points in an NBA Finals game without scoring from the 3-point line.
#5 Kyrie Irving - 38 points (2017 NBA Finals)
Kyrie Irving finished the 2020-21 NBA season with 50/40/90 shooting splits, a rare and commendable feat for any player. Irving is a solid scorer and shooter who can make tough contested shots with an immense amount of confidence.
During Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals, however, Kyrie struggled from the three-point line. Nonetheless, his solid mid-range game and ability to finish at the rim came in handy for the Brooklyn Nets star, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers back then.
He ended up scoring 38 points on 16-of-29 shooting while missing all six of his attempts from beyond the arc. The Cavs lost the game 113-118 to the Golden State Warriors, conceding a 0-3 lead.
#4 Jimmy Butler - 40 points (2020 NBA Finals)
The Miami Heat were down 0-2 in the 2020 NBA Finals and desperately needed a win to make the series a competitive one against the LA Lakers. Their talisman Jimmy Butler was in sublime form and was key to their hopes of claiming a win in Game 3. Butler stepped up big time for the team, notching up a 40-point triple-double. The Heat beat the Lakers 115-104 to cut their series lead to one game.
Butler shot an impressive 70% from the field on 20 attempts and made 12 of his 14 free throw attempts as well. All of his field-goal attempts came from two-point range only, though, as he went on to be ranked third on the list of active players with the most points in an NBA Finals game without scoring from long-range.
#3 Giannis Antetokounmpo - 41 points (2021 NBA Finals)
Giannis Antetokounmpo flipped a switch when the 2021 NBA Finals took place in Milwaukee last week. The "Greek Freak" stuck to his strengths on the night, relentlessly attacking the paint and scoring 41 points to help the Milwaukee Bucks successfully defend their home court in Game 3 on Sunday.
Antetokounmpo attempted only two shots from beyond the arc and failed to convert both. Nonetheless, he shot a 61% clip from the floor on 23 attempts as the Bucks cruised to a 120-100 win over the Phoenix Suns. Despite his well-known struggles from the free-throw line, Antetokounmpo also shot a respectable 13-of-17 from the charity stripe.
#2 Devin Booker - 42 points (2021 NBA Finals)
After a rough Game 3 in the 2021 NBA Finals in which Devin Booker only managed to score 10 points on 3-of-14 field goal shooting, he seemed determined to do well in Game 4. Booker did just that, ending the night with 42 points on 17-of-28 shooting from the floor.
He was at his lethal best with his mid-range game and continued to make an impact from there after failing to knock down all three of his 3-point attempts. It seemed like a calculated adjustment after converting only one of his seven 3-point attempts in the previous game.
Booker accumulated five fouls late in the third quarter, though, which forced him to sit out a huge chunk of the fourth quarter. That led to the Milwaukee Bucks outscoring the Phoenix Suns 33-21 in that period, which helped them win the tie 109-103.
#1 Russell Westbrook - 43 points (2012 NBA Finals)
Russell Westbrook's only NBA Finals trip to date was back in 2012. He played for the OKC Thunder at the time, who squared off against LeBron James' Miami Heat. Westbrook did not have the successful Finals debut he would have wanted, as the Thunder lost the series 1-4, but he made sure to give everything he had in the tank individually.
In Game 4 of the series, Brodie had a stellar 40-point game. He made 20 field goals from 32 attempts on the night, trying to cut Miami's lead to within one game, but the Thunder eventually lost the tie 98-104. He made just three attempts from beyond the arc and failed to convert all of them.
Westbrook averaged 27 points per game throughout the series.
