The Houston Rockets tied an NBA record for 3-pointers in their win against the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night. The team hit 23 3's, which also was a franchise-best, as they beat Golden State 140-109 at home. Houston matched the single-game record originally set by Orlando in a win over Sacramento on Jan. 13, 2009.
With three minutes left in the game, Houston needed one more 3-pointer to set the record, but Golden State would not let it happen. The crowd continued to chant "One more 3" but the Warriors ended their hopes by foulding at the end of the game.
It was a night of career and season highs for many players on the Rockets. Jeremy Lin hit five 3-pointerss, a career high, as he went to be the game's high-scorer with 28 points. Both Chandler Parsons and James Harden hit four. The Rockets reached a season-high point total in the game. They also tied an NBA record with 14 3-pointers in the first half, dishing out a season-high 35 assists on 46 field goals.
"Thankfully, we were just able to get a bunch of open looks and knock them down. That's just the way it is sometimes," Lin said.
Harden said the team was just hot Tuesday night and he was right. The Rockets were 18 of 27 from 3-point range through three quarters. Head coach Kevin McHale pulled the starters with 5:49 left in the game, leaving the pursuit of the record up to the reserves. The fans wanted the record, but instead point guard Patrick Beverley hit a one-handed dunk with 1:04 left, earning a mix response of cheers and boos from the crowd.
The game was nothing short of demoralizing for the Warriors. Their perimeter defense could not handle the hot hands of Lin and Parsons, getting out run through most of the game. Stephan Curry was hoping the team would eventually cool down at some point during the game. The Rockets did hit a bit of a dry spell early in the fourth quarter, missing their first three 3-point attempts, but it did not last long. Warriors head coach Mark Jackson insisted that his team never gave up on holding off Houston.
"Some nights, it's not your night and it wasn't ours and we didn't play particularly well. That doesn't mean, lay down and surrender. That's not in our DNA," Jackson said.
The Warriors have lost their last 15 of 17 games against the Rockets. Going into the game, Houston had never had more than 17 3-pointers in a game.
