NBA Teams Set Leaguewide 3-Point Record, 8 Percent Ahead of Last Season's Pace

NBA teams remain obsessed with the three-pointer, setting a new leaguewide record for shots made behind the arc. 

Per the Associated Press, Friday night featured the season's 23,749th three-point field goal, breaking the previous mark of 23,748 set last year. 

This also puts the league 8 percent ahead of the pace from 2016-17, with the AP noting 25,000 three-pointers made this season is "very possible."

This is the sixth straight year in which a new record for made three-point field goals has been established. The 2009-10 season marked the first time teams combined for 15,000 successful three-pointers. 

Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love says the game's biggest change is every position features players with shooting range. 

"Every position, 1 through 5, is now shooting threes," he told the AP. "You see that as such a weapon. It makes the game fun, makes it interesting. There's definitely a lot of spacing out there, and it's wild to see."

It doesn't appear the shot is going away. The Minnesota Timberwolves have attempted the fewest threes per game this season (22.4), which would have ranked sixth as recently as 2012-13. 

Among the key figures in the NBA's three-point revolution are the Houston Rockets' regime of head coach Mike D'Antoni and general manager Daryl Morey. Due in large part to the duo's philosophy, Houston's led the NBA with more than 40 three-point attempts per game in each of the past two seasons, including 42.4 with six contests left in 2017-18. 

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has also emphasized the three-point shot, leading the NBA in makes and attempts in five straight seasons, from 2012 to '17.