Steph Curry Tops Thompson, Irving In 3-Point Contest
NEW YORK (AP) -- Stephen Curry bested Golden State Warriors teammate Klay Thompson and six others to win his first 3-point contest during All-Star Saturday night.
Curry scored 27 points in the final round. He connected on 13 consecutive shots until missing his final attempt, bringing fans and celebrities roaring to their feet at Brookyln's Barclays Center after every swish.
Thompson, who had an opening-round best of 24, scored only 14 points in the final round. Cleveland's Kyrie Irving finished second with 17 points in the three-man final.
Curry, who set the NBA-record with 272 3-pointers in a season two years ago, finally took home the 3-point crown on his fourth try. He earned bragging rights over his fellow "Splash Brothers" star in the process, putting pressure on Thompson to follow his spotlight-stealing final round.
He couldn't.
Nobody could.
Atlanta's Kyle Korver, who is shooting a league-high 52.3 percent from beyond the arc, and defending champion Marco Belinelli of San Antonio never made it past the first round with scores of 18. Portland's Wesley Matthews finished with 22, Los Angeles Clippers guard J.J. Redick scored 17 and Houston's James Harden had 15.
It was a rare year when the 3-point competition had as much -- if not more -- intrigue than the dunk contest because of the notable names who were -- and weren't -- participating in each.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Oladipo, Mason Plumlee and Zach LaVine were competing in the slam-dunk contest.
Chris Bosh, Dominique Wilkins and Swin Cash won their third straight shooting stars competition earlier. Houston's Patrick Beverley won the skills competition.
Wilkins, the 55-year-old former Atlanta Hawks star, hit a half-court shot after 57.6 seconds in the final round to seal Team Bosh's three-peat. They topped Russell Westbrook, Anfernee Hardaway and Tamika Catchings in the final round, when Team Westbrook ran out of time after 90 seconds.
Beverley came from behind to beat Brandon Knight of the Milwaukee Bucks in the final round of the skills competition. The Rockets' defensive specialist, who replaced Washington's John Wall in the dribbling, passing and shooting competition, made a 3-pointer to clinch the win.
Unlike in the past, two players competed against each other in a bracket-style format for the skills challenge. Beverley bested Atlanta's Jeff Teague in the semifinals. Knight overtook Toronto's Kyle Lowry in the other semifinal.
In the shooting stars contest, Curry and his father, former NBA player Dell Curry, and WNBA star Sue Bird were knocked out in the opening round along with Paul Millsap, Scottie Pippen and Elena Delle Donne.