A record for 3 seconds and five more wild statistics from the Milwaukee Bucks’ Miami Heat beatdown

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With their 144-97 victory on Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks not only defeated the Miami Heat, they showered them with an unprecedented flurry of 3-point shots and set an NBA record with 29 long baskets made in their 51 tries. They matched the previous mark of 27 with just under 8 minutes to go, giving Sam Merrill the record-breaking shot with 6:07 left in the fourth quarter.

The Bucks broke the Houston Rockets’ home record against the Phoenix Suns on April 7, 2019.

There were 108 previous cases in NBA history of a team trying 50 or more threes in a regular season game. The Bucks were the first team to try 50 3s and shoot 50% or better on those tries (they earned 56.9% on Tuesday). With the help of ESPN Stats & Information, what were the most interesting numbers to get from this exposition on long-distance photography?

• 12: The Bucks not only set a record for the most 3s made, but also a record with the most diverse players making a 3-pointer with 12, making it the mark of 11, according to research from the Elias Sports Bureau. The Bucks were led by Jrue Holiday’s six baskets at 10 shots from 3-point range, followed by Donte DiVincenzo with 5-of-6.

• 9: In the midst of all those buckets made by so many Bucks, perhaps the biggest surprise was Giannis Antetokounmpo who finished with only 9 points on the night, even though he only played 24 minutes. The reigning two-time MVP was the only Milwaukee player not to score 3 pointer, although he tried two. The last time Antetokounmpo scored double digits was December 22, 2018, also against the Heat in a 94-87 away loss.

• 1: Giannis didn’t make a 3, but his brother Thanasis scored his first 3-pointer, having previously shot 0-of-11 in his 23 NBA games in his career before Tuesday.

• 30 or bust? Bryn Forbes hit the 29th and final 3-pointer with 3:30 to go, so it wasn’t like the clock was running out on Milwaukee’s 3-second rain. But Forbes’ bucket was also Milwaukee’s last attempt of the night.

• 47: Elias also notes that the Bucks’ 47-point win on the Heat was equal to the third-largest profit margin on a defending champion:

Biggest win vs. defending champion
December 1986, SuperSonics def. Missiles, plus-56
November 2019, Mavericks def. Warriors, plus-48
December 2020, Bucks def. Heat, plus-47
December 2003, Grizzlies def. Nets, plus-47
April 1999, Magic def. Bulls, plus-47

Tuesday’s defeat also tied for the second-largest margin in Heat’s history, losing 47 points to the Lakers in November 1988, losing just 68 points to the Cavaliers on December 17, 1991. Those 144 Bucks points were also the second most allowed by Miami in franchise history, trailing only on the 148 Cleveland scored in that 1991 game.

So what did The Heat do with all that bad news on court and in the record book? All they could:

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