Saturday’s 3-point Contest will be the second event as part of the 2024 NBA All-Star competitions, pitting the best perimeter marksmen in the league against each other. The players will shoot from five locations along the three-point line. Four of the racks will feature four regular basketballs and a money ball, while the fifth rack will feature all money balls. The placement of the fifth rank is customized by each player. Regular basketballs are worth one point while the money balls are worth two points.
There are also two “Starry” pedestals (for the event sponsor Starry) featuring a white basketball placed well beyond the three-point arc. These are worth three points. There is one between racks 2 and 3 and another between racks 3 and 4 on the perimeter.
The last two champions, Bucks guard Damian Lillard and Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns, are both part of this year’s event. Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton represents the hometown crowd, while Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Hawks guard Trae Young and Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell are All-Stars taking part in this event. Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen and Lillard’s Milwaukee teammate Malik Beasley round out the field.
Here’s a look at the odds for each participant to win the 3-point Contest courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook, along with our favorite pick and darkhorse pick.
Damian Lillard: +425, 34.1 3P%
Tyrese Haliburton: +450, 40 3P%
Trae Young: +600, 37.1 3P%
Malik Beasley: +650, 44.4 3P%
Lauri Markkanen: +650, 40.3 3P%
Karl-Anthony Towns: +650, 43.7 3P%
Jalen Brunson: +650, 41.1 3P%
Donovan Mitchell: +700, 36.1 3P%
Favorite Pick: Tyrese Haliburton (+450)
There have been multi-time winners in this event, but no one since Jason Kapono in 2006-07 and 2007-08 has repeated as a champion. Lillard is in this event because he won last year but his efficiency is down. I like Haliburton to take this event, even though he is coming off the Skills Challenge just before this. The Pacers guard took over the In-Season Tournament and has the chance to really make All-Star weekend in Indianapolis his own. Haliburton signed a big extension with the Pacers and has shown he’s committed to making this franchise a winner. What better way to drive the point home than racking up accolades in all the events?
Darkhorse Pick: Jalen Brunson (+650)
Beasley is also a good pick, since the Bucks guard shoots triples on 74.1% of his overall shot attempts. However, I like Brunson to show out here. The Knicks guard has been overlooked due to his height and has been questioned as a true star, even though he’s put together two awesome campaigns so far with his new team. This is the perfect platform for him to gain some more respect, and he offers great value at +650 for someone who’s connecting on 41.1% of his triples this season.