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There was no Steph Curry or Klay Thompson for this year’s NBA 3-point contest.
But Indiana’s Buddy Hield, the league leader in 3-pointers made this season and the contest’s winner in 2020, and Portland’s long-range shooter Damian Lillard participated and put on a show.
Lillard, wearing a jersey from Weber State where he played college basketball in nearby Ogden, Utah, outshot Hield and Hield’s Pacers teammate Tyrese Haliburton to win his first 3-point contest in his third try.
Lillard participated in the event in 2020 and 2019.
„This was a goal of mine because as a shooter, any time you come into a competition like this, you want to win it,“ Lillard said. „I had done it two times before this, and I feel like I just didn’t take it serious enough. You know, I wanted to just shoot my way to a win, and I wasn’t shooting the ball really disciplined. I was lazy.
„I wanted to win at least one time before I was done playing. That’s why I took this one a little more serious, and it just happened that way.“
Here’s a look at this year’s 3-point contest, which did not feature 2022 champion Karl-Anthony Towns:How did Damian Lillard win?
Lillard totaled 26 points in the first round and advanced to the finals with Hield (23 points) and Haliburton (31 points).
In the final round, Hield went first and posted 25 points, making seven of his final eight shots.
