Dwight Howard Breaks A Wilt Chamberlin Record Last Night

January 13, 2012   Blog Smash, NBA SMASH, Orlando Magic   1 Comment
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Dwight Howard is going to be a legend in the NBA when it is all said and done.  His mission for legendary status began last night when he broke Wilt Chamberlain’s nearly 50-year-old NBA record for most free throw attempts in a game, making 21 of 39 in the Orlando Magic’s 117-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Just like teams used to do with Shaq, the Warriors hacked Howard intentionally throughout the game. Dwight’s 39 shot attempts shattered Chamberlain‘s, where he shot 34 for the Philadelphia Warriors against St. Louis on Feb. 22, 1962.  All in, Howard finished with 45 points and 23 rebounds.

Howard had never shot more than 24 free throws in a game – which he had four times previously – and fouled so early. Certainly, nothing compared to the Warriors’ ways.

Howard eclipsed his old mark with 2:09 remaining in the third quarter, getting hacked and held intentionally at the end of each quarter with mixed results. If nothing else, Golden State rookie coach Mark Jackson’s strategy slowed down the pace and refused to let the Magic’s potent shooters find their rhythm.

Howard tied Chamberlain’s record when Andris Biedrins fouled him – and fouled out – with 7:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, making 1 of 2 to give the Magic a 93-92 lead. Howard has shot just below 60 percent at the line for his career.

No matter how you look at it, Howard passed Wilt the Stilt in at least one statistic category last night, that is quite a feat.

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