NBA All-Star Three-Point Contest Betting Preview & Picks

One of the biggest events during NBA All-Star Weekend has evolved as we will be discussing the Three Point Contest.

There will be eight contestants who will be trying to win their first contest here. The players competing in the event are Trae Young (+400), Desmond Bane (+500), Luke Kennard (+500), Patty Mills (+550), Fred VanVleet (+550), Zach LaVine (+650), CJ McCollum (+650), and Karl-Anthony Towns (+1200).

For those of you who are unaware of the changes from last year, there are still the five traditional racks with five shot attempts.

However, there will also be two “DEW ZONE” shots which are six feet behind the three-point line, and two each player has two shots which are worth three points apiece.

My strategy for this event is to bet on a few players who are more likely to make the finals and go from there. 

Who Has A Shot to Make the Finals?

The top three total scorers in the first round will advance to the finals, so it is important to figure out which players have a realistic chance of advancing out of the first round.

Let’s work backward from the biggest underdog and decide if they have a chance to win.

Karl-Anthony Towns

Towns is shooting 40.1 percent from beyond the arc and 40.3 percent as a catch and shoot from beyond the arc, that is typically the two numbers I look at as these players are essentially standing in a spot and taking the ball off the rack and shooting, so it isn’t exactly a catch and shoot situation but it seems to be the best number to help track it.

I think KAT has a shot of making the finals, but I do not think he will have a top three score. 

CJ McCollum

CJ McCollum is currently entering the All-Star break shooting 38.9 percent from three and 40.4 percent from a catch and shoot position.

I like his chances as a veteran and being able to keep calm under pressure during All-Star Saturday Night, and he has shown the ability to take over. I can easily see CJ making the finals.  

Zach LaVine

Zach LaVine is still listed, but I doubt he is going to attempt to be in the competition after dealing with a knee injury that he went to a specialist out in Los Angeles to see.

If he does, however, I think the injury is going to affect him to the point where he is not going to do as well as he typically would. 

Fred VanVleet

Fred VanVleet is one of the best catch and shoot players in the sport, as he is shooting 47.4 percent from three in those situations this season.

He did sit out of Toronto’s final game before the break with a knee injury, so his status for the event is still up in the air as of this writing, but the injury does concern me too much to dive into him with a wager.

Patty Mills

Patty Mills is having an excellent season shooting the ball from deep despite being more involved in the offense than he expected to when he signed as he is shooting 41.9 percent from three and 43.2 percent from the catch and shoot position.

I wouldn't be afraid to throw some money down on him considering the season he is having.

Luke Kennard

Luke Kennard is my dark horse to win the entire event as he is shooting 50 percent from three in his last ten games before the break and an outstanding 46.2 percent with the catch and shoot parameters.

He has shown the ability to get hot shooting, and with these odds of +500, I am definitely throwing some money on him to win it all as I love the value here. 

Desmond Bane

Desmond Bane is having an excellent year shooting the three ball as he is currently 41.9 percent from beyond the arc and 43.6 percent from three.

I think a young player is going to win this as they typically go harder in the events to make their name more so than veterans. Throw a couple of dollars at Bane as well.

Trae Young

Trae Young is someone I’d throw money on as he is shooting a whopping 48.1 percent off the catch and shoot from deep this season. He is one of the more prolific shooters in today’s game and has shown his ability to keep cool on this stage as he has played in All-Star Games before.

Young should be someone you expect to make the finals and potentially win as we have him as the favorite. He is shooting well heading into the event and can wreak havoc on the competition here. 

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