In the 2018-19 season, there have been a strangely high number of NBA records that have stood for decades got broken. Here’s how in some cases the modern style of basketball has led to that and ten rare NBA records that were snapped this season by players who have been in the league for a long time to the newcomers in the new era of basketball made by Steph Curry’s and Klay Thompson’s of the world.
So here’s a list of broken records this season which had a standstill for quite a long time.
#1 Player 3 Pointers Made in a Single Game – Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson’s breakthrough performance of 14 three’s in a game.
The first record by Klay Thompson this year was hitting ten consecutive three’s to start a game on January 21st against the Lakers but that still was not good enough for him because he tied Ty Lawson who did that back in 2011. With Thompson hitting only five three’s through seven games to start this season back in October 2018, he snapped his shooting slump in literally the biggest way possible by walking over Steph Curry’s record of thirteen three’s in a game that was set back in November 2016 and before that the record had not been broken since Kobe and Klay did it by hitting fourteen three’s in a single game against Chicago Bulls. One can really blame the Warrior’s backcourt for the three-point renaissance in today’s NBA but it really is a treat to watch.
#2 35+ Points and 5+ Assists Consecutively – James Harden
Harden with a Stepback three over Draymond Green.
Proving to be one of the greatest scorers of all time the MVP James Harden went for 43 points and 13 assists securing his 8th consecutive performance with at least 35+ points and 5+ assists breaking Oscar Robertson’s previous record of seven. So until this season we haven’t seen it done since 1967 and when someone calls Harden a ball hog, just have a look at this record as we’re witnessing a complete offensive talent who trusts his teammates every night and of course scores at the highest level every night.
#3 Team Three’s Made in a Single Game – Houston Rockets
Rockets roster breaking the record of three-pointers made in a single game.
On December 19th the Washington Wizards defence let the Houston Rockets achieve the record for the most three-point field goals converted by an NBA team, hitting 26 to surpass the previous record of 25 held by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Harden and Chris Paul had 11 alone but everyone including Michael Carter-Williams chipped in and five players hit at least three three-pointers. One can understand how Houston took three games from the champs last playoffs, they can score from the very best when they get hot form the downtown.
#4 Combined Team Three’s – Warriors and Pelicans
Warrior’s Death Squad for NBA teams or the NBA itself.
The Warriors three-point style involved them in one of the games this season when they combined with the New Orleans Pelicans for 43 three-pointers by setting the record for most three-pointers in an NBA game by both teams. Nineteen for the Pelicans led by Nikola Mirotic with six three’s and twenty-four three-pointers for Golden State led by nine from Steph Curry including Draymond Green rarely knocking down four three’s in a game.
#5 Same Seasons with One Team – Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki with his final appearance at the NBA All-Stars.
The fifth record set in 2018-19 is from a man who changed the Power Forward position. The NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki set the NBA record for most seasons with the same NBA team by a player with 21 breaking Kobe’s record of 20 seasons with the Lakers. One of all-time scorers with 31,560 points and second all-time scoring power forward behind Karl Malone, he is definitely going to the NBA Hall of Fame. All the respect in the world for Dirk because with the super-team era upon us it’s hard to see this record broken for a very long time.
#6 Unassisted Points – James Harden
Harden having a career year this season.
Amidst the stretch where Harden scored 30+ points for 32 straight games, second behind Wilt Chamberlain, James Harden had 304 unassisted points over seven games in January to earn the record for most consecutive unassisted NBA points scored by a player. Harden is a player who gets criticized for not doing defense but the bottom line is that he scores best in the ISO situations, if he wasn’t as aggressive as he is he would be wasting his talent and if he was trying to playoff other guys he wouldn’t be scoring in the right way.
#7 Consecutive Games with a Triple Double – Russell Westbrook
Westbrook recorded 20 points, 20 rebounds and 20 assists this season.
Nine consecutive games with a triple-double as a record that stood for over fifty years by Wilt Chamberlain that is until January 22nd to February 14th this year Russell Westbrook has set a new record of 11, so another triple-double record in the books for one of the most athletic point guards of all time. We are really witnessing a basketball specimen with this man. Stat padding is something he gets flack for but only the greats are able to do it so Russell Westbrook does deserve the appreciation while he still has some years left of dominance.
#8 All-Star Starts – LeBron James
LeBron James playing his 15th All-Star game this season.
LeBrons’s incredibly long reign as being the most popular and for most of the time the best NBA player up until this season but that all allowed him to tie the record for most NBA All-Star game starts in 2019 as he matches Kobe Bryant’s tally of fifteen. LeBron has gotten too much hate this season from the media, first there was the Knicks announcer Clyde Frazier and recently Michael Rapaport had a rant of his own. People just forget that he went to the NBA Finals eight times in a row going through grueling playoffs after grueling playoffs and at the very least he is one of the top three players of all time in the NBA history.
#9 Single Season Dunks – Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert dunking over Nikola Mirotic.
With eight games to spare in the season Rudy Gobert broke Dwight Howard’s dunks in a single season record of 269, but Giannis also passed Dwight Howard and it turned out to be quite a race between these two after breaking the record and finally in the end of the season it was Rudy Gobert with 306 dunks breaking Howard’s record in a single season and behind him was the Greek Freak with 279 dunks. So a great season for two of the longest wingspans in the game right now.
#10 Rookie Triple Doubles – Luka Doncic
Doncic has proven himself as a player and a leader of the team.
The young greatness of Luka Doncic who broke the record for most NBA triple double’s recorded by a teenager and the youngest NBA player to score a 30-point triple double. Hopefully, for Mavericks fans a Tyreke Evans like sophomore slump doesn’t happen with Luka and he just keeps getting better and better so he can keep breaking records.
