Miami Heat set a new NBA record by making all of their free throw attempts in their 112-111 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at the FTX Arena.
The Heat scored all 40 of their free throws in the game, breaking the 41-year-old record held by the Utah Jazz when they made 39 of 39 in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers in 1982.
Jimmy Butler led the record-breaking game with an impressive stat line of 35 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks as the Heat got back to winning ways after their last-minute loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
The 33-year-old made all 23 of his attempts from the free-throw line, shooting more than the entire Thunder’s team.
Butler’s night was most impressive despite the absence of four of the team’s regular starters while center Dewayne Dedmon was ejected early in the second quarter due to an altercation with the Heat’s coach, Erik Spoelstra.
With his 23 successful attempts, Butler tied NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins for the second-highest number of free throws in a game without a miss, just behind Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden who converted all his 24 free throw attempts while playing for the Houston Rockets in a game against the San Antonio Spurs in December 2019.
The Heat recorded their 22nd win of the season on Tuesday night and they are currently 8th in the Eastern Conference standings, just two places behind the Indian Pacers in the automatic playoff spot.
