Daniel Gafford’s streak at 33 FGs falls short of breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s 35 leaving NBA Twitter in frenzy

Daniel Gafford in the same basketball sentence as the legendary Wilt Chamberlain is almost unthinkable. The Dallas Mavericks center, who made 33 straight field goals, was on the cusp of breaking one of the “Big Dipper’s” most astonishing accomplishments. Chamberlains’ record of 35 consecutive shots made was on the line when the Mavs visited the OKC Thunder on Thursday.

In the Mavericks’ 109-99 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, Gafford made noise with his defense and rebounding. He clogged the paint and rejected seven shots. A perfect 5-for-5 field goals, his 33rd straight make, capped off his superb night.

Daniel Gafford and his fellow big men feasted on the Dubs’ undersized front court that didn’t have Draymond Green. They did not have that luxury as the Thunder had the lanky Chet Holmgren, who is an excellent shot blocker, manning the paint. Gafford, though, was unfazed and tried to surpass one of Wilt Chamberlain’s many impressive records.

Chet Holmgren, however, didn’t want to be on the wrong end of history. He forced Gafford to barely miss a tightly-contested putback shot off a miss from Dante Exum. Chamberlain’s record remained safe while Gafford’s streak ended at 33.

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NBA fans react to Daniel Gafford’s miss to fall two shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s record

Dante Exum opened the Dallas Mavericks versus OKC Thunder showdown with a strong drive to the rim. He tried to bank a layup but missed it before Daniel Gafford gobbled the rebound. Dallas’ center gathered himself and tried to kiss the ball off the glass but Chet Holmgren nearly swatted away his shot.

Gafford’s shot nearly went it before rimming out, leaving fans on Twitter (formerly X) in frenzy:

“DANIEL GAFFORD NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”

The quiet and unassuming big man will likely take the miss in stride. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd told reporters on Wednesday that he wasn’t concerned about whether he would break or fail to even tie Wilt Chamberlain’s record. They need him, though, to worry about how he can impact the game as Dallas is on the road without superstar Luka Doncic.

As he has done for most of his career, Daniel Gafford continues to relish doing the dirty work for his team. Against the Thunder, he has been playing the role of a screener and rim-runner. On defense, he is asked to protect the rim and gobble rebounds. Kidd will heavily rely on him to do his job to give the Mavericks a chance to win the game.