On Friday night, veteran Australian NBA big man John Ingles passed Hall of Famer John Stockton for the Utah Jazz all-time franchise record for three-pointers made with 846 in his 493rd game. Stockton nailed 845 threes in his career in 1504 games.
In his seventh season with the Jazz, Ingles entered Friday night needing two 3-pointers to pass Stockton’s mark (Stockton played for 19 years), and he got it done early after starting the game in place of Donovan Mitchell (concussion protocol). He made his first three-pointer of the game at the 6:45 mark of the first quarter and then broke the record with another one only 30 seconds later, giving Utah an 18-6 lead.
This season, he is averaging 2.4 three-pointers per game and is shooting a career-best 44.7% from beyond the arc, compared to his career average of 40.8 per cent from deep. He has averaged 8.4 points, 3.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and one steal per game in 25.4 minutes per game over his seven-year career with the Jazz.
Utah entered Saturday’s game with a 14-4 record, standing first in the Western Conference – their first time at the top of the ladder since December 2006. That is mainly credited to an NBA-best 10-game win streak, in which Ingles has consistently impressed.
This season, the Aussie also has an opportunity to make a move on the Jazz’s all-time assists leaders. Ingles currently ranks eighth on the list with a real chance of passing both Pete Maravich and Jeff Hornacek this year. Andrei Kirilenko who sits fifth might even be in play this season barring any major interruptions in Ingles’ season.
