The three-point battle was won by Minnesota Timberwolves centre Karl-Anthony Towns.
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Karl-Anthony Towns told The Athletic in December that he is “the greatest big-man shooter of all time.” He has a case. He has a career 3-point percentage of little under 40%. This season, he’s shooting 41 percent from three-point range on moreover five tries a game. And, unlike most big players with range, Towns isn’t a one-shot shooter. He shoots while moving.
All of it came into play in the NBA 3-point contest on All-Star Saturday Night, and he won. Towns finished with a final-round record of 29 to win the trophy, which goes a long way toward confirming his claim.
? Karl-Anthony Towns opens the final round of #MtnDew3PT with 29! ?
2 shooters left on TNT. #NBAAllStar #StateFarmSaturday pic.twitter.com/lyfAOUv6Es
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2022
Despite Towns’ well-known accuracy, he was the field’s long chance to win. Caesars had him at 13-1, and he was the lowest on all of the various boards. Even with the way big players shoot these days, betting on a center in a shooting battle is difficult.
Towns, who is 6-foot-11, is technically the first center to win the 3-point battle. Dirk Nowitzki, listed at seven feet tall, won in 2006 if you want to cast a broader net and include all exceptionally tall individuals. Kevin Love, who won in 2012, is a big guy, yet he’s just 6-foot-8. Towns is a hub. He only plays from the outside in, and he’s a better 3-point shooter than Dirk, who concluded his career at 38% from long range.
When it comes to overall shooting ability, I don’t believe that Towns is a better all-around shooter than Nowitzki. Towns, on the other hand, has every reason to feel he is the finest. He’s a fantastic sharpshooter. On Saturday, he demonstrated it once again. Oh, and this was supposedly a walk-off performance as well.
Karl-Anthony Towns opened the final with 29 points, shattering Devin Booker’s all-time record of 28 points in the 3-point contest’s Final Round. KAT’s effort was followed by 26 points from Trae Young and Luke Kennard, earning the Timberwolves’ big man the NBA 3-point contest championship title.
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Patty Mills was eliminated from the 3-point challenge despite his superb shooting after Trae Young scored 22 points. Young, Luke Kennard, and Karl-Anthony Towns competed in the final round of the 3-point competition.
Patty Mills scored 21 points to knock Desmond Bane out of the 3-point battle. CJ McCollum was eliminated when Karl-Anthony Towns scored 22 points, while Fred VanVleet could not escape elimination after scoring just 16 points.
Desmond Bane scored 18 points to open the 3-point shooting competition. CJ McCollum scored 19 points to match Bane’s effort, and Luke Kennard claimed the lead with 25 points before Zach LaVine was eliminated for scoring fewer than 18 points (14).
