Top 10 Performances for Most 3s in a Single-Game in NBA History

2018 NBA Finals - Game Three
Stephen Curry makes multiple appearances on this list but who else?

The game of Basketball has been changed completely with the introduction of the 3-point line in 1979-80. The number of 3-point shot attempts and makes are increasing every season. Shooters like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in the recent times have taken this trend to a whole new level by shooting 3s ridiculously from anywhere on the court. People are now coming to an opinion that a 3 is always better than 2 and everyone today is practising 3-point shooting in the gym and drills.

Also read: Greatest 3-point shooters of all-time

The NBA has seen some games where some of the world's best shooters have shot the ball at a mind-blowing rate. Houston Rockets are probably the best shooting team in the world currently. In Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against Golden State Warriors, which is another team that shoots consistently well, Rockets have missed 27 3-pointers in a row and died by the 3. Though relying too much on the 3-shot can hurt your chances of winning a game if all your players fail together in a high-intense game, three-pointers are still very important part of today's NBA.

We look at top 10 performances of most 3s in a single-game in NBA history. Read on to find out who all are part of this list.

#10 Dennis Scott, 35 points vs Atlanta Hawks, 11/17 3s

1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 4: Orlando Magic vs. Chicago Bulls
Dennis Scott

Stat line: 35 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

Dennis Scott played 10 seasons in the NBA and spent a major part of his career playing for the Orlando Magic. He has reached the playoffs four times while playing for Magic. Scott was known for his three-point shooting during his playing days. During the 1995-96 season, he set a record for highest 3-pointers made in a single-season when he made 267 treys. This record was broken by Ray Allen 10 years later.

On April 18th, 1996, Dennis Scott set the record for highest number of 3-pointers made in a single game when he made 11 3-pointers against the Atlanta Hawks in a home game. Dennis went for 11-17 from behind the 3-point line with a ridiculous 3-point field-goal percentage of 64.7. He finished the game with 35 points as the Orlando Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks 119-104.

Scott averaged 12.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game over his 10-season career in the NBA.

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#9 Deron Williams, 42 points vs Washington Wizards, 11/16 3s

Brooklyn Nets v Atlanta Hawks - Game One
Deron Williams

Stat line: 42 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal

Deron Williams is currently not playing in the NBA and has last played in the 2016-17 season for the Cleveland Cavaliers, after being waived mid-season by Dallas Mavericks and has had a very forgettable season with the Cavs failing to bring the kind of spark expected from a 3-time All-Star off the bench.

Williams, who played point guard, was known for his 3-point shooting skills. On March 8th, 2013, he had a very memorable game against the Washington Wizards while playing for Brooklyn Nets. Deron exploded for 42 points on an 11 off 16 shooting from the deep with a very high 68.8 3-point field-goal percentage. The Nets dump Wizards 95-78.

Deron averaged 16.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game in the NBA after being part of 12 seasons.

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#8 JR Smith, 45 points vs Sacramento Kings, 11/18 3s

Atlanta Hawks v Denver Nuggets
JR Smith

Stat line: 45 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assists and 1 steal

JR Smith is one of the greatest shooters of all time. The 2013 NBA Sixth Man of the Year is known to shoot from anywhere on the court with ease. He is the go-to-guy to shoot 3s in the clutch on any team that he is part of.

On April 13th, 2009, JR had one of the best shooting performances of his carer when he dropped 45 points on a 11-18 shooting from behind the 3-point line in a blowout win against the Sacramento Kings while playing for the Denver Nuggets. JR who came off the bench was +23 on the game.

JR played a key role when the Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors in 2016, after coming back from down 1-3 to win his first championship. That season, he averaged 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in the playoffs.

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#7 Klay Thompson, 52 points vs Sacramento Kings, 11/15 3s

Sacramento Kings v Golden State Warriors
Klay Thompson

Stat line: 52 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks

Klay Thompson is a key part of the Warriors' success. He is known for shooting from anywhere on the court and is a nightmare for defenders to guard when he catches fire from behind the arc. He once scored career-high 60 points in a game against the Indiana Pacers in just 3 quarters and sat the entire 4th quarter. He has ridiculously dribbled only 11 times in that game. This is just an example of how he can shoot, coming off the screens without even needing a dribble.

On January 23rd, 2015, Klay went red-hot against Sacramento Kings at Oracle Arena and scored 52 points, shooting 11-15 with a magnificent 3-point field-goal percentage of 73.3. The Warriors blowout the Kings 126-101. He was +38 on that game.

Klay is a 3-time NBA Champion and has made 1557 3-pointers after taking 3691 shots from behind the arc with a 3-point field-goal percentage of 42.2.

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#6 Kyrie Irving, 55 points vs Portland Trail Blazers, 11/19 3s

Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers - Game Four
Kyrie Irving

Stat line: 55 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals

Kyrie Irving is one of the best ball-handlers in the history of NBA. The ease with which he dribbles past multiple defenders and finishers at the rim is astonishing. He carried the load on offense along with LeBron James for 3 seasons and the duo led the Cleveland to their first title ending the 52-year drought.

On January 28th, 2015, in a home game against the Portland Trail Blazers, without LeBron James who sat out due to a wrist injury, Uncle Drew went for a monster performance scoring 55 points on a 11-19 shooting from the 3-point line with a 3-point field-goal percentage of 57.9. With this huge performance, he led the team to a 5-point win against the Blazers.

Kyrie is a 5-time All-Star and also won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 2012. He was selected as the first overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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#5 Stephen Curry, 54 points vs NewYork Knicks, 11/13 3s ; 51 points vs Dallas Mavericks, 11/15 3s ; 39 points vs Charlotte Hornets, 11/15 3s

Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Game 6 Western Conference Finals
Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry is arguably the greatest shooter in the history of the NBA. He is the face of the NBA and is the most popular player in the world currently. The 3-time NBA champion became the first player to ever win the MVP award unanimously when he won the award in 2016. He is the most consistent player on the Warriors team and makes his shooting look very effortless.

Stephen Curry has made 11 3-pointers in a game thrice in his career. The first one came on the road against the Knicks on February 27, 2013, when he scored game-high 54 points, shooting 11/13 from behind the arc with a ridiculous 3-point field-goal percentage of 84.6. The Warriors surprisingly went on to lose the game, behind Carmelo Anthony's 35 point performance.

Stat line : 54 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals

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The second instance was when he scored 51 points on the road against the Wizards on February 3rd, 2016, shooting 11-15 from the 3-point line. Steph was +20 on the game and Warriors beat Wizards 134-121.

Stat line: 51 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals

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The third time he made 11 3-pointers was when he scored 39 points in a home game against the Charlotte Hornets on February 1st, 2017, shooting 11-15 from behind the arc. Klay too had a red-hot night with 29 points and the game ended in a Warriors win.

Stat line: 39 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals

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#4 Donyell Marshall, 38 points vs Philadelphia 76ers, 12/19 3s

Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers
Donyell Marshall

Stat line: 38 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block

Donyell Marshall was part of 15 seasons in the NBA. He played with 8 different teams during his long NBA career. He was a reliable shooter and shot well consistently. He played Power forward and Small forward in the NBA.

On March 13th, 2005, in a home game against the Philadelphia 76ers, he made 12 3s after making 19 attempts with a very high 3-point field-goal percentage of 63.2. Marshall came off the bench and delivered a huge performance to lift Raptors past the Sixers for a 128-110 win. He was +9 on the game.

Marshall averaged 11.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game during his playing career in the NBA.

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#3 Kobe Bryant, 45 points vs Seattle SuperSonics, 12/18 3s

Bryant high fives coach Jackson
Bryant high fives coach Jackson

Stat line: 45 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block

Kobe Bryant is one of the most successful players of all time. He was a 5-time NBA champion and has spent all his 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 18-time All-Star is known for his clutch shooting in the clutch and has never shied away from taking shots with game on the line.

On January 7th, 2003, in a home game against the Seattle SuperSonics, Kobe Bryant went red-hot and dropped 45 points, shooting 12-18 from the 3-point line with a 3-point field-goal percentage of 66.7. As a result of this magnificent performance, the Lakers got the win after blowing the SuperSonics out for a 21-point win.

His 12 3-pointers in this game was then the record for highest number of 3-pointers in a single-game before it was eclipsed by the #1 on this list. Kobe averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game over his 20-year long career in the NBA.

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#2 Stephen Curry, 46 points vs OKC Thunder, 12/16 3s

Dallas Mavericks v Golden State Warriors
Steph shoots a 3 over Dirk Nowitzki

Stat line : 46 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals

The baby-faced assassin's name keeps coming up on this list and you can't be mad about it. Steph Curry has changed the way basketball is played. The way he dribbles the ball and shoots all those off-balance, off-the-dribbles 3s is something everyone would love to emulate.

On February 27th, 2016, Steph Curry exploded with yet another game-winning performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder when he dropped 46 points, shooting 12-16 from the 3-point line, with a huge 3-point field-goal percentage of 75. Kevin Durant also went red-hot from the distance and dropped 37 points on a 7/11 shooting but the Warriors somehow survived for a 3-point win against the OKC Thunder.

With this performance, he tied Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall's record for the highest number of 3-pointers in a single-game with 12 before #1 on this list broke the record. Any guesses for who the #1 is ??

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#1 Stephen Curry, 46 points vs New Orleans Pelicans, 13/17 3s

New Orleans Pelicans v Golden State Warriors
New Orleans Pelicans v Golden State Warriors

Stat line: 46 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals

This should not come as a surprise to anyone. It is Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter of all time who is #1 on this list with a ridiculous 13 3-pointers in a single-game.

On November 7th, 2016, playing at Oracle Arena against Anthony Davis and New Orleans Pelicans, Curry torched the Pels scoring 46 points, shooting 13-17 from the distance with a 3-point field-goal percentage of 76.5. Stephen Curry broke his own record of 12 3-pointers and became the sole possessor of the record that still stands today. The Golden State Warriors won the game 116-106.

This is a record that is very tough to be broken and looking at the way things are going, don't be surprised if Steph breaks his own record yet again. Steph Curry makes shooting look so effortless and one should only be ready for many other shooting records that will be broken by Curry in the upcoming years.

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Edited by Yash Matange