Celtics Just Miss NBA Three-Point Record After 13 Straight Misses in Fourth Quarter

Boston turned ice cold just one three-pointer away from making NBA history.

Payton Pritchard finished with three points on 1-of-10 shooting in the Celtics' season-opening win. / Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Just about everything went the Boston Celtics' way in their 132–109 win over the New York Knicks—until it came to their three-point shooting in the fourth quarter.

Boston, which raised the 18th championship banner in franchise history on Tuesday night, tied the all-time NBA record for three-point makes in a single game—29 triples—with 8:50 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics were shooting 60.4% from deep when Al Horford tied the record. But they proceeded to miss their next 13 three-point attempts, ending the season-opening win with 29 three-pointers, which is tied for the all-time high with the 2020 Milwaukee Bucks.

The Celtics tied the NBA 3PM record (29 3PM) with 8:50 left in the game then proceeded to miss 13 in a row 😭 pic.twitter.com/60SjnMxgeX

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 23, 2024

Over the final eight-plus minutes, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard missed five three-point attempts, forward Sam Hauser misfired on four attempts, Xavier Tillmann clanked two and Jaylen Brown and Jordan Walsh missed one apiece.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Celtics had made 29-of-61 three-point attempts—good for a 47.5% clip. Jayson Tatum led the team with 37 points on eight makes beyond the arc, and every other starter finished with at least three triples against New York.

Despite missing out on history, the three-point barrage was still an encouraging start to the season for the Celtics, who ranked second in the NBA with a 38.8% clip beyond the perimeter in 2023-24.

---

More of the Latest Around the NBA

feed