The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the NBA playoffs as one of four teams tied for the most 3-pointers in a quarter.
On Wednesday night, they broke the record.
In Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Miami Heat, the Cavaliers made 11 3-pointers in the second quarter, setting a new postseason record.
Cleveland was 11 for 16 from three-point range in that period, jumping to a 68-51 lead at halftime after only leading by one point in the first quarter. The Cavaliers, who are the top seed, led by 19 late in the third quarter but had to hold off a Heat comeback to win 121-112 and take a 2-0 lead in the series.
“We’ve had a lot of moments like that this year because we have highly skilled players that can shoot. Everybody was shooting,” said coach Kenny Atkinson. “It was beautiful to watch. We’ve got good passers, good connectors. There’s spacing and running and dirty work involved, and then the skill work takes over.”
Max Strus made three 3-pointers, while Sam Merrill, De’Andre Hunter, and Donovan Mitchell each made two. Mitchell also had five assists in the quarter, all on 3-pointers.
“It went exactly as I imagined it would. I knew if I could drive to the basket, the defense would collapse, and then my teammates would have open shots. To see everyone keep making those shots, it’s amazing, especially with a group like this,” said Mitchell, who scored 30 points and hit seven 3-pointers. “Having so many players who can shoot well from the 3-point line really puts pressure on the defense. That’s what we saw in the second quarter.”
The Cavaliers were one of four teams to share the previous playoff record of 10 made 3-pointers, which happened during a second-round series against Atlanta in 2016. Milwaukee, Phoenix, and Utah also made 10 in playoff games in 2021, with Mitchell playing for Utah at that time.
The regular-season record for most 3-pointers in a quarter is 12, which has been done six times.
Cleveland, the top team in the East, ranked second in the league for 3-pointers made and 3-point shooting percentage, just behind Boston and Milwaukee, respectively.
The Cavaliers finished with 22 out of 45 from three-point range, tied for the sixth-most in a playoff game.
“When that happens, you have to stay focused and keep going. We defended four of those shots really well, but once they hit seven or eight, I think we started to get discouraged,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra.