With his falling-away 3-pointer in the third quarter in Saturday’s game against the Jazz, Stephen Curry passed Reggie Miller for second place on the NBA’s career 3-point list.
Curry got the pass from Draymond Green and hoisted a falling-away 3-pointer from the corner that cut Utah’s lead to 79-50 with 10:59 left in the third quarter.
The shot gave Curry 2,561 made 3-pointers for his career, behind only Ray Allen (2,973) on the all-time list. In January of 2019, Curry moved into third place behind Miller.
Miller made 2,560 3-pointers over 1,389 regular season games during his 18-year NBA career. Curry needed only 715 games to eclipse Miller’s mark in 11-plus seasons.
At his current pace, Curry would need little more than 100 games to catch Allen. In this shortened 72-game season, Curry would likely not challenge Allen’s record until the second half of the 2021-22 season.
👏 History 👏
2,561 career threes for Steph, passing Reggie Miller for 2nd all-time pic.twitter.com/JYwhC5IpCo
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 24, 2021
Curry’s range and accuracy have influenced a game that, for so long, valued size and post-scoring above all else. His ability to shoot off the dribble, off the catch and from 30-plus feet out helped usher in an era of unprecedented 3-point shooting volume and efficiency.
“Steph and Ray (Allen), in my mind, are the two greatest ever in terms of the diversity of their 3-point shot,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who began coaching Curry in 2014. “Which is why they’re going to be at the top of that list. The ability to shoot it in so many different ways is just an incredible threat for defenses to have to deal with.”
As the Warriors aim to return to the playoffs this season, Curry, the two-time MVP, is the NBA’s third-leading scorer and Golden State’s most important offensive player. They need him to keep making 3-pointers at an all-time clip.
“I’ve been blessed to the coach Steph and to watch him play all these years,” Kerr said, “and to enjoy the show like everybody else.”
