NBA 3-Point Contest Odds, Rules, Picks, and Predictions: All Hail Hield

The NBA's annual All-Star Weekend has become a true five-ring circus with a bevy of showy events meant to inspire awe. There's the Celebrity Game, the Skills Challenge, the Rising Stars competition and, of course, the Slam Dunk Contest, where players regularly defy the laws of physics. However, the one event that consistently outshines them all is the 3-Point Contest, where the world's best shooters showcase their incredible accuracy and endurance.

This year should be no different as some of the NBA's top marksmen go up against the clock and each other. The dazzling eight-man field includes a former champ, a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, and a hometown hero who's sure to bring the crowd to its feet.

Check out the latest odds and rules for this year's event along with our best bet for who will be the last man standing.

NBA 3-Point Contest odds

Player	Team	3P%	Odds
Damian Lillard	Portland Trail Blazers	37.2%	+370
Buddy Hield	Indiana Pacers	42.3%	+410
Kevin Huerter	Sacramento Kings	39.2%	+460
Tyler Herro	Miami Heat	36.9%	+600
Lauri Markkanen	Utah Jazz	41.2%	+700
Jayson Tatum	Boston Celtics	35.7%	+800
Tyrese Haliburton	Indiana Pacers	39.9%	+1,000
Julius Randle	New York Knicks	33.8%	+1,200

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook, February 18, 2023.

NBA 3-Point Contest rules

The 3-Point Contest has gotten increasingly complicated over the years with new modifications added almost annually. Familiarize yourself with the latest rules before wagering on the event.

• Players are given 70 seconds to shoot 27 balls from five locations around the arc.
• Four of the five racks contain four NBA game balls and one tri-colored "moneyball." The fifth rack contains five tri-colored moneyballs. Players choose in advance where they would like to have the moneyball rack positioned.
• Regular game balls are worth one point and moneyballs are worth two points.
• There are two additional "Starry Range" ball pedestals located between racks 2 and 3. These balls are worth three points each.
• The order of the competition is determined by a random draw.

NBA 3-Point Contest favorites

Damian Lillard (+370)

Few players in NBA history have been more deadly from 23 feet and beyond than Damian Lillard. The seven-time All-Star ranks sixth in career 3-pointers made and is third among all active players behind only Steph Curry and James Harden. Neither of those gunners will be chucking up shots on Saturday, thereby giving Dame a clear path to padding his already impressive resume.

The former Rookie of the Year has participated in the 3-Point Contest twice in his career and is as hungry as ever to take home the crown 11 years into his Hall of Fame career.

Buddy Hield (+410)

There are green lights and then there's the hue that Buddy Hield sees every time he touches the ball. No one has attempted - or made - more 3-pointers this season than the 30-year-old sniper, who is canning 3.8 treys per game for the surprisingly relevant Indiana Pacers. 

Kevin Huerter (+460)

It's amazing what a difference a change of scenery can make. Kevin Huerter went from being a fifth option on the Hawks to being a walking bucket with the Kings. The 24-year-old Albany native is scoring 14.9 points per game for Sacramento, and he's doing it effficently, posting career-best marks in field goal percentage (47.8%), 2-point percentage (60.3%), and 3-point percentage (39.2% ). Huerter has made five treys or more in a game five times this season, and is the kind of pure shooter that excels in this competition.

NBA 3-Point Contest pick

When I handicap the 3-Point Contest I look for a player who takes a high-volume of threes, hits a high percentage of those shots, and has participated in previous shootouts. Buddy Hield checks all of those boxes with a big, bold indelible marker. Not only does he lead the league in 3-pointers made, but he's shooting well above his career average from deep and he won this contest in 2020 as a member of Sacramento Kings.

Hield understands better than most the demands of this unique competition and has the skills, experience, and endurance to come out on top again. Fade him at your own peril.

Past 3-Point Contest Winners

Year	Team
2022	Karl-Anthony Towns
2021	Steph Curry
2020	Buddy Hield
2019	Joe Harris
2018	Devin Booker
2017	Eric Gordon
2016	Klay Thompson
2015	Steph Curry
2014	Marco Belinelli
2013	Kyrie Irving

The 3-Point Contest's biggest longshot was also its biggest winner last season. KAT shocked viewers in 2022 by scoring 29 points in the final round to top noted marksman Luke Kennard. It was a shocking turn of events considering the larger-than-life pivot entered the event with +1,200 odds.

Players who have won multiple 3-Point Contests

Larry Bird added to his legacy by winning the first three 3-Point Contests from 1986 to 1988 before retiring from the event with nothing left to prove. A master of the mental arts, the "Hick from French Lick" famously psyched out his opponents in his final 3-point shootout by walking into the locker room and causally asking, "Who's coming in second?" The answer, as it turns out, was Seattle's Dale Ellis, who could only watch in awe as Bird cooly eliminated him in the final round while still wearing his warmup jacket.

3-Point Contest trends

• Dirk Nowitzki (2006) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2022) are the only 7-footers to win the contest.
• No one has won the contest in back-to-back years since 2008.
• No one has won the contest on their own home court.

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