NBA: Charlotte Hornets’ Kun Knoebel sets NBA record for three-pointers made

Rookie Con Knoebel became the fastest player to reach 200 three-pointers in NBA history, after the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Chicago Bulls 131-99.

The 20-year-old American player scored 21 points, including three three-pointers, while Brandon Miller added 23 points, leading the visiting Hornets to a tenth consecutive defeat for the Bulls for the first time since the 2018-2019 season.

Knueppel needed just 58 games to make his 200th 3-pointer — 11 fewer than previous record holder Duncan Robinson — and is only the second rookie to reach the milestone.

With a league-leading 201 3-pointers, Knueppel needs just six more to break Keegan Murray’s record of 206 set in 2022-23 for the Sacramento Kings for the most 3-pointers made by a rookie in his first season.

After playing college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, Knueppel was drafted as the fourth overall pick by the Hornets in the 2025 draft.

“It’s exciting and refreshing [to coach Knueppel]Coach Charles Lee said after the Hornets’ eighth straight win on the road.

“It elevates our entire culture when you have a guy who is good but humble and has no ego, and it becomes contagious throughout the entire organization.”

Meanwhile, newcomer James Harden scored 20 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers returned to winning ways by defeating the New York Knicks 109-94.

The result helped them tie with the Knicks, who are third in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 37 wins and 22 losses.

Harden, who left the Los Angeles Clippers this month, is an 11-time NBA All-Star and considered one of the greatest guards in history, but the 36-year-old has never won an NBA title.

“We’re building something special, and every game is an opportunity to get better,” Harden said. “Tonight was a good step for us.”

The Boston Celtics strengthened second place by defeating the Phoenix Suns 97-81, while the Philadelphia 76ers achieved a 135-114 victory over the Indiana Pacers, who are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference after reaching the final of the American Basketball League last year.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, leaders of the Western Conference, defeated the Toronto Raptors 116-107, while the sixth-placed Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 110-109, and the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 124-121.