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ON THIS DAY in 1996: The Nets set the Record for Most Points in a Single Overtime Period
As was common for them during most of the 90s, the New Jersey Nets in the 1996-97 season did not have the start they might have hoped for. 27 years ago today, on November 30, 1996, the 2-9 New Jersey team faced the Los Angeles Clippers (6-10) in a matchup that didn’t intrigue many. However, of that game would come a record that stands in the NBA to this day.
Who was on that Nets team?
Those who are familiar with John Calipari probably know him for his extended tenure with the University of Kentucky, where he’s had repeated success with both developing players and success in the Division I March Madness tournaments.
Before all of that though, he spent 2 and a half seasons as head coach for the New Jersey Nets from 1996-1999.
In the 1996-97 season, the results were pretty underwhelming for Calipari and the team. To be fair, the caliber of players on the roster wasn’t particularly strong, which makes their 26-56 record a bit more understandable. A team that featured a lot of recognizable names just couldn’t put it together that year.
The roster included Jayson Williams, Kendall Gill, Kerry Kittles, and Shawn Bradley. All of them had pretty solid careers, but didn’t make much notable progress in NBA history. That season, Shawn Bradley would lead the NBA in blocks, while Kendall Gill would go on to lead the league in steals 2 years later. Kerry Kittles was good in his rookie season, but was drafted before Kobe, something that Calipari still regrets.
Setting an NBA Record
27 years ago today, on November 30, 1996, after 4 quarters of regulation, the New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Clippers were tied 81-81. Neither team had scored more than 25 points in a single quarter, posting a result that is rarely seen in our modern NBA. However, in overtime alone, the Nets put up another 25 in just 5 minutes, a record which hasn’t been beaten since.
Remarkably, with 1:54 left in overtime, the Clippers were down 89-83, and after a long back-and-forth free throw battle, 29 points were scored in the final 2 minutes of the game.
The Clippers strategy of trying to get the Nets to miss free throws and get back in the game didn’t work, and Los Angeles inadvertently helped New Jersey set an NBA record.
Nearly three decades later, the record remains as impressive as it is peculiar. During the initial quarter of the match, a total of 30 points were scored (Clippers 17 - Nets 13), while astonishingly, in the last two minutes of overtime, 29 points were tallied.
