American 3-point shooter lets it rain in Spain

epa04112942 FC Barcelona's guard Jacob Pullen (L) duelsfor the ball with Fenerbahce Ulker Istambul's player Pierre Jakson (R) during the Basketball Euroleague TOP 16 match played at the Palau BlaugranShow more

Shooting a basketball from beyond the arc is a beautiful science that very few players can really grasp. It does not matter which country you are in.

In an ode to the late and great Philip Seymour Hoffman, he demonstrates my point perfectly in this clip from the movie Along Came Polly:

But even as some of the most prolific basketball-playing actors are owning the courts in New York City, some other standout players are making headlines abroad.

American point guard Jacob Pullen set a Spanish league record for most three-pointers in a game when he drained 12 in Barcelona's 111-66 victory at Valladolid on Saturday, beating the previous best of 11 set by Oscar Schmidt 20 years ago.

The 24-year-old from Maywood, Illinois, who joined Barca last year after stints in Italy and Israel and has a Georgian passport, scored his 12 three-pointers from 15 attempts in less than 23 minutes, Barca said on their website.

Brazilian Schmidt, 56, known as "Mao Santa" (Holy Hand) and considered among the most prolific scorers in the history of basketball, set the previous record playing for Valladolid in the 1993-94 season.

Barca are third in the Liga Endesa on 16 points, five behind leaders Real Madrid, who have won all 21 of their matches, and three adrift of second-placed Valencia. Valladolid are bottom on two points.

* Reuters