Participating in the 3-point contest for the second time in his young NBA career, the Hawks’ Trae Young was out to redeem himself from a rough outing in 2020.
Even though he didn’t win, he accomplished that mission, making the final round of the contest held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. He earned a score of 26, tying the Clippers’ Luke Kennard for second behind the Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, who got red-hot and set a record for points in the final round with a 29.
“I feel better than last time, let’s just put it that way,” Young said. “We’re showing growth. We’re showing growth here. May have to take a break from this little event for a couple years, come back and then take over that champ spot.”
Two years ago, the first time Young was named an All-Star starter, he was eliminated in the first round of the 3-point contest. Afterward, Young joked he’d love to do it again one day – that is, if they’d have him back. This time around went much better, though his first-round performance came down to the final shot (he made it for a score of 22).
Young’s All-Star weekend is just getting started, as he’ll be an All-Star starter for the second time, this time for Team Durant in the All-Star game Sunday night.
“I’m just excited to go out there and put on a show,” Young said. “Feels good to be out here and looking forward to just going out there and just having fun and trying to put on a show.”
Young was also up against the Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane, the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, the Nets’ Patty Mills the Raptors’ Fred VanVleet and the Pelicans’ CJ McCollum, all of whom were eliminated in the first round.
Each got 70 seconds when competing, with ball racks positioned at five spots around the arc, with four racks containing regular game balls (worth one point) and one “money” ball (worth two points). The fifth rack consists of solely “money” balls, with players able to decide that rack’s location. There were also two deep shot locations with a “3-ball” worth three points.
The top three contestants (Towns, Young and Kennard) from the first round advanced to the final round.
Also on Saturday night, the Knicks’ Obi Toppin won the dunk contest and the Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland, representing the host city in Cleveland, won the skills challenge.
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