NBA winners and losers: 3-point history made in multiple ways, 76ers seem cursed, Bronny James goes off

It’s not every weekend that you see an NBA record set. It’s even more special when you see two records set, one of which is immediately broken two night later. And, since we’re talking about the modern NBA here, of course those records involved 3-point shooting.

We’ll get to the specifics a little bit later, but the Mavericks, Warriors, Jazz, Suns, Bulls and Hornets all entered the record books this weekend for different reasons as teams continue to launch from deep at historic levels.

Wait, did I bury the lede here? The NBA Cup, baby!

The Thunder, Bucks, Rockets and Hawks put on a show in Las Vegas that would give Criss Angel a run for his money. In the end, Oklahoma City and Milwaukee emerged to set up a showdown on Tuesday for the trophy that the guy from the Sopranos really, really seems to want for some reason.

As we wait to see whether or not George Clooney and Brad Pitt show up, let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers from the weekend.

Winner: NBA trade season!

As fantasy football unfortunately ends for the majority of us (nice 3.4, Cade Otton … smh), the good news is that the transactions in the NBA are just heating up. Trade season officially began on Saturday, when news broke that the Warriors were bringing in Nets guard Dennis Schroder in exchange for injured guard De’Anthony Melton, a couple of second-round picks and Santa Cruz Warriors legend Reece Beekman. Nets G Leaguer Jacky Cui, who tore his ACL last Wednesday, was waived to make room for Beekman. Tough beat.

While Schroder will certainly help the Warriors in the short term, there’s also speculation that he could be used in another deal down the road, perhaps for a superstar whose name rhymes with Timmy Truckler. And isn’t that what trade season is all about? We can’t even discuss a deal that’s already happened without recklessly speculating about what’s next.

Schroder is the first major chip to fall in advance of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, but he certainly won’t be the last. Stay tuned.

Loser: 76ers (again)

Just when you think things are starting to turn around in Philadelphia, Joel Embiid makes his latest trip to the injury report thanks to a sinus fracture he suffered when he was inadvertently clocked in the face by a high-flying Bennedict Mathurin in Friday’s loss to the Pacers. As if that weren’t enough, rookie sensation Jared McCain — one of the few consistent 76ers bright spots this season — is expected to have knee surgery and miss an extended period of time after an awkward fall in the same game. 

The Sixers are talented enough that if everyone finally gets on the court together for a significant stretch, they could make some serious noise in the Eastern Conference. But at this point — whether you believe in curses or not — it’s fair to question whether that’s ever going to happen.

Winner: Ballin’ Bronny

Less than two months into his NBA career, Bronny James has already faced more criticism — some warranted, most unwarranted — than most players experience in their entire careers. So, no matter how you feel about where and how he was drafted, you need to respect when he accomplishes something impressive.

Playing in his first G League road game on Friday night, James scored 30 points in 25 minutes in the South Bay Lakers‘ 106-100 loss to the Valley Suns, going 13 for 23 from the field, including 3 of 9 from 3-point range. The 20-year-old added three rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block.

James only has one NBA basket in 18 total minutes, but he’s put up solid numbers so far in the G League, averaging 14.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in five games. This is the whole point of sending him to the G League. He can get reps, occasionally be the featured offensive hub and play through his mistakes with the hope that one day he’ll be able to contribute meaningfully to the Lakers. A 30-point game is a positive step in that direction.

Loser: United Center rims

There have been some terrifying movies about Friday the 13th, but nothing could be more horrific than the display that the Hornets and Bulls exhibited last Friday (Dec. 13). The two teams combined to miss 75 3-pointers in a single game. Let me say that again — they missed SEVENTY-FIVE 3s — the most ever in a regulation NBA game, according to Nate Duncan. The good new is, the people of Chicago were able to collect all the bricks and build a three-story youth center complete with an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a full-court basketball gym.

The Hornets went 8 for 46 (17%) from deep, while the Bulls torched the nets with a 14-for-51 (27.5%) mark on their home floor. By league rules, someone had to win the game, so Chicago was awarded a 109-95 victory. The shot charts have more red Xs than a second-grader’s calculus quiz.

With NBA teams making more 3s than ever, a game like this was bound to happen. It’s not like these guys are particularly bad shooters, either, with the Bulls ranking eighth in the league in 3-point percentage and the Hornets 17th. But missing is contagious, and the United Center rims paid the ultimate price.

Winner: Chase Center rims

While the United Center rims licked their wounds and nursed their bruises, their Chase Center counterparts emerged in pristine, virtually unharmed condition after the Mavericks and Warriors combined to make an NBA record 48 3-pointers on Sunday night. Golden State became the first team in league history to make at least 27 3s in a losing effort.

It was actually pretty hilarious, because the previous record of 44 had just been tied by the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns two nights before. You’ve really got to embrace your moment in the sun in the modern NBA. In all seriousness, there’s a good chance the Mavs-Warriors record doesn’t even last until the end of the season, as teams continue to fire from 3-point range at historic volume.

Loser: NBA Cup ticket sales

It’s trite and a bit gauche to talk about the whole “big market vs. small market” thing in the NBA, but it simply can’t be ignored when it comes to audience and fan participation. This weekend’s NBA Cup semifinals could have featured three of the top seven markets (according to this list I found) with New York, Dallas and Golden State. But those teams all lost in the quarterfinals, and instead the Bucks and Thunder — two of the bottom four NBA markets — made it to Vegas, along with Atlanta and Houston (Nos. 8 and 9, respectively).

The two semifinal games were thoroughly entertaining, but the interest wasn’t exactly overwhelming — at least according to ticket sales. Prior to tipoff of the first game, you could get in the building for both semifinal matchups and the championship for less than $100 combined.

Having these games in Vegas rather than home markets is a cool idea and gives the whole tournament a more glitzy feel, but you run the risk of limited ticket sales (or worse, empty seats) if the teams don’t command huge followings.

Winner: SGA’s rapid larceny

Sure, MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points and took over late while powering the Thunder to the NBA Cup final. That’s great. What’s really impressive, however, is the fact that he picked up four steals in less than two minutes in the first quarter of Saturday’s win over the Rockets. He was certainly helped by Alperen Sengun apparently mistaking him for a teammate a couple of times, but we’re pretty sure this is an NBA Cup record for most steals in a two-minute stretch in the first quarter of a semifinal game — which will undoubtedly go straight to the top of SGA’s resumé.

Gilgeous-Alexander unfortunately couldn’t keep up the 96-steal pace, but he added one more to finish with five for the game. At 6-foot-6 with long arms and quick hands, SGA has become a master basketball thief in addition to all his other talents. He’s currently third in the league in total steals, after finishing tied for first last season. The fact that he’s the “weak link” in the Thunder defense makes you understand why they’re the toughest team in the league to score against.

Loser: Courtside servers

One of the perks of dishing out gobs of money to sit courtside at an NBA game is the luxury of having servers bring you food and drink so you don’t have to miss any of the action while enduring the 45-minute concession stand line for $26 nachos. The setup is great for the spectators, but it sometimes becomes dangerous for the brave servers, who are forced to navigate the tightrope of a sideline while balancing a tray full of who knows what, attempting to avoid fans, players and … sometimes referees.

Cut to Sunday evening, when this poor server was absolutely obliterated by a sprinting official who happened to be looking at the game action rather than where he was running. It’s fitting that it happened on Sunday, because this was NFL-worthy. We direct your attention to the bottom of the screen.

Luckily everyone came out of the incident unscathed, except for the adult beverage(s) on the tray, which unfortunately did not survive.