The Celtics are on pace to set multiple NBA 3-point shooting records originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics have held their own 3-point shootout almost every game, and it has been an extremely successful strategy for them.
It helped the Celtics win the 2024 NBA Finals last season, and this season it has paved the way for an impressive 19-5 start – good for second place in the Eastern Conference.
Ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, we looked at four NBA 3-point records the Celtics could break. They are currently on pace to break three.
Here’s a look at their progress so far:
Most 3-point shots made
NBA Record: 1,363 by the Golden State Warriors 2022-23
Celtics 2024-25: 456 (Current rate: 1,558)
The Celtics are hitting 19 3-pointers per game, putting them on track to reach a total of 1,558 over the full 82-game schedule. So even if the C’s shoot a slightly lower percentage the rest of the season, they should still break this record. And if their percentage increases a little, they could even shatter the Warriors’ record.
The Celtics made 38 more 3-pointers than the second-place Chicago Bulls, and Boston played one fewer game than Chicago on Tuesday.
Most 3-pointers made per game
NBA Record: 16.74 by the Utah Jazz 2020-21
Celtics 2024-25: 19.0
The Celtics are on pace to comfortably set a new record for most 3-pointers made per game. That’s not too surprising considering the fact that they’re trying to hit a career-high 51.4 per game (more on that below), but it’s impressive nonetheless.
The Celtics have three players – Jayson Tatum (3.8), Payton Pritchard (3.7) and Derrick White (3.6) – making at least three 3-pointers per game.
The Chicago Bulls rank No. 2 with 16.7 3-pointers made per game, so they could also break the old record.
Highest 3-point shooting percentage
NBA Record: 42.8 percent by the Charlotte Hornets 1996-97
Celtics 2024-25: 37 percent
Of all the records listed in this story, this one is probably the least likely to be broken by the C’s. Not only is it extremely difficult to shoot over 42.8 percent, it’s even more difficult to achieve when you make as many 3-pointers as the Celtics.
The Celtics are hitting 37 percent of their 3-point attempts, which ranks them 13th in the league. The Cleveland Cavaliers rank first with 40.4 percent.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Celtics’ percentage slowly increased as there is plenty of room for improvement with several individual players.
Jaylen Brown is shooting 34 percent from 3-point range, which is 1.4 percent lower than last season. Tatum is at 36.4 percent, 1.2 percent lower than last year.
Jrue Holiday has dropped significantly from 3-point range. He’s shooting 32.8 percent after hitting a career-high 42.9 percent of his attempts last season. Holiday shot 4 of 17 from beyond the arc in Monday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. What is the cause of the decline in vacations? He led the league with a 60.4 percentage on corner 3-point attempts last season, and he dropped to 30.6 percent on those same shots this year.
Sam Hauser also declined slightly, going from 42.4 percent last season to 36.8 percent this season. Al Horford is at 41.4 percent, which is almost identical to his rate from 2023-24.
Payton Pritchard is shooting a career-high 43 percent after making 38.5 percent of his 3-pointers last season. He saw the biggest increase in 3-point percentage on the team.
Most 3-pointers attempted per game
NBA Record: 45.38 by the Houston Rockets 2018-19
Celtics 2024-25: 51.4
This is the record most likely to be broken by the Celtics, simply because you can completely control the number of 3-point shots you attempt. If the Celtics continue to shoot over 50 3-pointers per game, they will break the all-time record. They currently attempt 7.9 more 3-pointers than any other team. There are only six teams that shoot 40 or more 3-pointers per game.
Boston has five players – Tatum (10.5), White (9.1), Pritchard (8.6), Brown (7.6) and Kristaps Porzingis (7.0) – averaging seven 3-point attempts or more per game. Tatum ranks third among all players with 10.5 per game.
The Celtics are in a league of their own when it comes to attempting shots from beyond the arc.
