Buddy Hield wasted no time trying to find the scoring column on Thursday night.
And he did it in a record-breaking way.
The Indiana Pacers sniper snatched a game-opening jump ball out of the air that Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen had thrown his way, spinning at the top of the key and hitting cool with a 3-pointer to set Indiana at 3: 0 lead just three seconds into the game at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
According to research by ESPN Stats & Information, the Bucket is the fastest made 3-pointer in the play-by-play era (since 1996-97). Hall of Famer Reggie Miller had the old record when he hit a 3 at 11:56 of the opening quarter on March 5, 2000 during a game against the Golden State Warriors.
Hield’s bucket set the tone for a big scoring night for the home side.
The Pacers finished the season with a point-high in a 135-126 win over a Cleveland team that started the game with the best defensive efficiency in the NBA.
Hield ended 25 points down on 5 of 6 shots from 3-point range. The 3-pointer grub leader became the first player in Pacers history with 60 or more 3s in a calendar month. It was his fourth straight game with four or more 3s made, one just short of his longest streak this season.
The Pacers finished 19 of 31 from beyond the arc overall.
“You couldn’t ask for much better shooting,” said Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith. “They shoot the ball like that, it’s going to be hard to beat us every night.”