Top 5 records broken in the 2020-21 NBA Season
As the NBA regular season enters its final stages, we take a look back at some of the records that have been broken in the 2020-21 campaign. As the league continues to evolve, we have seen records set and reset over the last decade and this year has been no different. Teams are eclipsing their single-game 3-point records while the youngest player to put up a triple-double has been set again despite being broken twice already in the last three years.
This article will take a look at five records that have been broken this season, beginning with a shooter who needs no introduction.
Looking back at five records broken in the 2020-21 NBA season
Some honorable mentions were left out of our list, such as LaMelo Ball's triple-double back in January that made him the youngest ever player to do so at just 19. There was also the Utah Jazz' franchise-setting record for most threes made in a game, 28, which was just one shy of the NBA's best.
Let's dive into the records that did make the list, however, with a preference shown to the NBA's top scorers.
#1 Steph Curry shooting 85 (or more) threes in a calendar month
Steph Curry's recent shooting has been nothing short of majestic after the 33-year-old clocked up an NBA-record 85 threes in April with two games left to play.
The two-time NBA MVP and three-time champion of the league continues to display his dominance when most thought he couldn't get any better. This is also a season when Curry hasn't had his splash bro Klay Thompson and the Warriors were only an outside bet at the start to make the playoffs.
That hasn't fazed the point guard, though, who in Sunday night's win over Sacramento drained 7 threes and broke the record previously held by James Harden. Over 13 games, Curry has made 6.5 threes per night with an accuracy of 47.2%. In four of which, he made 10 or more.
His shooting has come at a time of importance for the Golden State Warriors, who are pushing for a playoff berth. Behind his scoring, the Warriors have gone 8-5 in April, sit only one and a half games back on sixth place and have beaten the likes of the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets.
#2 Zion Williamson reaches 2000 points
Another player who has been a scoring fiend recently is Zion Williamson. In his past ten games, the 20-year-old has averaged 29 points a night which has helped him become the youngest player since Michael Jordan to reach 2000 points in only 79 games.
Williamson has done this with ease, shooting at over 60% from the field in 55 games this season. Even in his rookie campaign last year, Zion shot at 58.3% and averaged 22.5 points a night.
By recording such a feat, Williamson ranks very highly among an exclusive club of NBA legends, ranking 12th alongside the late Elgin Baylor and Rick Barry.
#3 Russell Westbrook's triple-double dominance
Since 2014, Russell Westbrook has adapted his game to become a master at recording triple-doubles. Therefore, it is no surprise to see the Wizards guard leading the NBA with 28 this year, as he has done so in 5 of the last 6 seasons.
Even more impressive, however, was the fact that Westbrook broke a long-standing franchise record in less than a season last month. In a 132-124 win over Indiana at the end of March, Westbrook recorded his 16th triple-double of the season, simultaneously becoming the Washington Wizards' all-time leader in triple-doubles.
He may even create a record that is unachievable for some time after adding 12 more to his tally in the 15 games since.
#4 Dallas Mavericks monster first-half vs LA Clippers
Although they are riding high now and have been electric since the NBA's All-Star break, the LA Clippers are the unfortunate holders of a record set in just their third game of the season.
Without talismanic leader Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers were woeful in the first half of their game with the Dallas Mavericks, scoring just 27 points and trailed by 50 going into the locker room. That difference in score is the greatest between two opponents at the half since the shot clock was introduced into the NBA in 1954.
The Mavs finished as resounding winners at 124-73. Should the two teams finish the season as they are currently, they will face off in the first round of the NBA playoffs as they did last year and it will be the Clippers looking to have the last laugh.
#5 Anthony Edwards' 100+ point three-game span
The standout candidate for rookie of the year, Anthony Edwards, is already proving his worth as the No.1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft and has shown that his upside for development is immense. After a slow adjustment to league life, Edwards' form has exploded and he has become one of the most-lethal offensive players, averaging 18 points a night.
He has been a bright spark in a disappointing season for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and in March became the first teenager to score 100+ points over a 3-game span in NBA history. His feat came in the middle of the month when the T-Wolves beat both the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers on either side of a loss to the Lakers. Edwards put up 34, 29 and 42-point performances, the last of which came against a usually solid Suns defense.
Minnesota fans will be very excited to see how Edwards can progress and help their franchise return to the playoffs in the future. As for fans of other teams around the league? They will just be hoping he doesn't posterize their favorite player.