The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder made NBA history on Sunday…just not the kind any team wants to make.
The two teams combined for just 25 points in the first quarter of their Game 4 matchup, equaling the record for fewest points in the first quarter of a playoff game in the shot clock era.
The Thunder led the Nuggets 17-8 after the first, matching the previous low first set in 1999 when the Portland Trail Blazers led the Utah Jazz 14-11 and in 2002 when the Detroit Pistons led the Toronto Raptors 16-9, according to the Associated Press.
The Nuggets and Thunder joined that group after combining to shoot just 18.2% in the quarter, with Denver going 0-14 from deep and the Thunder just 1-for–11.
The two teams returned to form in the second quarter, with the Nuggets outscoring the Thunder 28-25. Oklahoma City took a 42-36 lead into the half and went on to win 92-87.
That first quarter, though, nearly rewrote the record books.
What’s the lowest scoring quarter in NBA history?
The Nuggets, with eight first-quarter points, nearly set a new mark for fewest points scored in a quarter of an NBA playoff game.
The record is held by the 2015-2016 Boston Celtics, who scored seven points in the first quarter of Game 2 against the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics lost the game 89-72.
The fewest points scored in a quarter by a single team in the regular season is five by the Nuggets in 2015 and the Miami Heat in 2016.
What’s the lowest scoring game in NBA history?
The fewest points scored by a single team in an NBA playoff game in the shot clock era is 54 by the Utah Jazz. The Jazz lost 96-54 to the Chicago Bulls in Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals, scoring no more than 17 points in any quarter and just nine in the fourth.
The New Jersey Nets are the only other team that have failed to reach the 60-point mark in an NBA playoff game, losing 78-56 in Game 1 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals.
The fewest points scored by an NBA team in the shot clock era is 49 by the Chicago Bulls, who lost 82-49 to the Chicago Bulls in 1999.
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