INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — James Harden is currently second alone in 3-point shooting.
The Los Angeles Clippers guard made his 2,974th career 3-pointer Sunday night, tying him with Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen for second on the NBA list.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment and a testament to all the hard work I’ve put in,” Harden said. “As I get older and have an incredible career, you start achieving those things too, and I never want to take that for granted.”
In the 116-105 win over the Utah Jazz, Harden’s history-making shot came from the right side with 6:09 left in the first quarter. The only player higher than Harden on the list is Golden State’s Stephen Curry at No. 3,782.
Curry and the Warriors are in Southern California to play the Clippers on Monday.
“I’m one of the most confident players in this league, but no, I probably won’t catch Steph, and I don’t think anyone will, to be honest,” Harden said.
Harden made 2 of 8 3-pointers, had 20 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.
It took Allen 1,300 games to make 2,973 3-pointers. Harden passed him with 1,086 games.
“Those guys are both phenomenal shooters,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said last week.
Harden is one of only three players in NBA history to make 300 3-pointers in a season. He hit 378 in 2018-2019. Other players on that list are Curry (achieved five times, including an NBA record 402 points in 2015-16) and Klay Thompson (301 points in 2022-23).
“Being a scorer at all three levels and being second all-time in 3-pointers made is crazy,” Lue said after the game. “And there were a lot of tough 3s, off the dribble, step backs, pocket 3s, pulling up off the dribble in pick-and-rolls.
“Just knowing what he accomplished from going from two guard to point guard, his whole career was amazing.”
Harden ranks 15th in NBA career rankings in points and 13th in assists. The only player to rank in the top 15 in points, assists, and 3-point shots, although he appears on all three lists, is LeBron, the league’s all-time scoring leader who ranks 4th in assists and 8th in 3-point shots. It’s James.
Allen passed Reggie Miller for first place on the 3-point shooting list in 2010-11, a record he held for more than a decade. Curry overtook Allen during the 2021-22 season.
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