Chandler Parsons lost his mind and set some records, too

Chandler Parsons put on probably the single greatest display of long-distance shooting in the last 30 years last night.

Parsons, a Rockets small forward, scored 32 points on 12-of-13 shooting last night against the Mavericks, including making 6-of-7 from beyond the 3-point line. He added two free throws on as many attempts as well. His true shooting percentage for the game, according to the accepted formula, was 115%. Um. (I really don’t even know if something like this is possible. T’he fact that he shot “better” than 100% is so staggering that it might not even be possible, but I’m just doing the math here.)

For reference, Dirk Nowitzki put on what is considered one of the most efficient offensive performances of all-time in Game 1 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals. He made 12-of-15 field goals and all 24 of his free throw attempts, finishing with a TS% of 92.3. But against Dirk last night, Parsons breezed past him. Or, I guess, shot past him. Heh.

No player in the last 28 seasons (since basketball-reference has tracked such stats) has shot a higher percentage from the field in a game in which he made at least 6 3-point field goals and at least 12 field goals overall. For comparison, the second-best shooting performance, put on by Philadelphia swingman Willie Burton in 1995, is almost as good and would probably be considered better had he not missed three free throws on the night. Burton’s TS% was also above 100, a claim then-Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas can also make, as he scored 46 points on 16 shots in 2006, aided by a 13-of-14 night from the free throw line. Making more than 6 3s and 12 shots overall isn’t a terribly uncommon thing in the NBA, but only seven players have shot higher than 80% from the field in such games. Parsons is at the top of that list.

Most awesomely, Parsons’ shooting percentage increased by .8 points in one game alone (from 47.6% to 48.4%) and his 3-point percentage rose from 36.8% to 37.9%. His TS% rose an entire percentage point, from 57.1 to 58.1%.

Crazy.

Absolutely crazy.