This for most people is the highlight of the action on Saturday night as some of the best shooters in the league battle it out. It is a contest stars have not shied away from, and that is the case once more tonight. All-Stars like Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Tyrese Maxey and Damian Lillard will all be competing. Let’s jump right into it and evaluate the contestants and pick out the best bet.
Kon Knueppel (+260)
Kon Knueppel has made a splash in his debut season and is already knocking down 43.1% from deep this season. Over the last 10 games he has been even hotter, making 46.3% of his attempts. What makes it even more impressive is the volume he has been doing it on, averaging close to 8 3-point attempts per game. From each of the corners he is also making over 48% of his shots, which should translate very well to this contest. Knueppel has drawn many comparisons to Klay Thompson. The rookies 3-point percentage is already above the season average Thompson had in 2016, the year he won the 3-point contest.
Damian Lillard (+450)
The two-time champion makes a spectacular return tonight in what will be his first appearance on the basketball court this season. Considering that he out for the season, do not expect him to return to the court any time after this soon either. And while Lillard is undoubtedly one of the greatest shooters of his generation, the lack of court time should mean he will have some rust to shake off. Last season he was also just a 37.6% shooter from deep. And while this contest has proven that 3-point percentage in games does not directly correlate to success here, it’s not a great sign for a guard coming into this contest still recovering from injury.
Jamal Murray (+600)
Jamal Murray is having a great shooting season so far, knocking down 42.5% of his 3-point attempts. It is on pace to be the best joint mark of his career. Murray is, however, considered more of a scorer than a pure shooter, so it will be interesting to see how that translates to this competition. And even thought the sample size is relatively small this season, he has struggled shooting from the right corner, making under 38% of his attempts. That could cost him here. Over his last 9 games he is also making just 31.3% from beyond the arc, not the kind of form you would want to carry into this field.
Rest of the field
2 players that cannot be ignored here are Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell. Booker is a past winner of the contest while Mitchell has appeared in the contest twice before, putting up respectable scores. Booker however is shooting just 31.3% from deep this season and looks hardly like the type of player that won the contest in 2018. Mitchell is also making under 35% from deep over his last 10 games so could struggle improving on pasts efforts. Another contestant Tyrese Maxey has been similarly struggling of late. Norman Powell did not shine in his last appearance on this stage and Bobby Porter Jr. is not considered a knockdown shooter, despite his career year from behind the arc.
NBA All-Star Three-Point Contest best bet: Kon Knueppel
With Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson unlikely to take part in this contest again, it is time for a new pure shooter to rise and dominate the contest. This will be the stage for Kon Knueppel to make his claim. With the rest of the field struggling in recent games, the hot hand of the Hornets rookie should carry him to a win.
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