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Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will be the man to beat in Charlotte, North Carolina, during All-Star Weekend, as he headlines the field for the 2019 Three-Point Contest.
Curry will do battle with his brother Seth, who also grew up in Charlotte, as their dad, Dell, played for the Charlotte Hornets. Defending champion Devin Booker, Kemba Walker, Khris Middleton, Damian Lillard and Dirk Nowitzki are among the other notable names taking part.
2019 NBA All-Star @NBAAllStar
The #MtnDew3PT field at #NBAAllStar #StateFarmSaturday!
@DevinBook *defending champ
@sdotcurry
@StephenCurry30
Joe Harris
@buddyhield
@DGreen_14
@Dame_Lillard
@Khris22m
@swish41
@KembaWalker https://t.co/itivvE5wcN
Stephen Curry is appearing in the event for the sixth time, and he’ll be looking to become the first two-time champion since Jason Kapono went back-to-back in 2007 and 2008.
Curry told ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski the opportunity to compete this year was too good to pass up given all the factors involved.
“Just being in Charlotte, there’s a nice storyline,” he said. “[Seth] was leading the league in percentage for a while. In terms of family history, my dad playing 10 years in Charlotte; being one of the original Hornets to now having the All-Star Game in Charlotte. The three-point shootout will be fun with the Curry brothers. I know he’s going to be gunning for me, though. That’s the problem.”
While the elder Curry is likely to be the heavy favorite, Seth is anything but an underdog.
The Portland Trail Blazers guard is shooting 48.5 percent from three-point range, which leads the league. Since becoming a regular rotation option in 2015-16, Seth has been a better long-range shooter (44.4 percent) than Steph (42.5 percent).
Somewhat surprisingly, this will only be Lillard’s second appearance in the Three-Point Contest. His last came in 2014, when he competed in the Rising Stars Challenge, Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest.
Lillard didn’t advance out of the first round and fell one made three-pointer short of Belinelli, who moved on to the final round.
The Portland Trail Blazers star has already called his shot.
“I’m going to win,” he said, per The Oregonian‘s Sean Meagher. “I’m in there to win so of course I think I’m going to win.”
Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Harris will be another name to watch on Feb. 16. To create some momentum behind getting Harris into the Three-Point Contest, the Nets made a video in which he showed off his shooting stroke away from the court.
Brooklyn Nets @BrooklynNets
Hey @NBA, Joe Harris lives to shoot. So give the people what they want and put Joey Buckets in the Three-Point Contest
#NBAAllStar https://t.co/oKvyHpYEXQ
After two nondescript years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Harris has found his niche as Brooklyn’s three-point specialist. He’s hitting 45.3 percent of his shots from beyond the arc this season.
The Three-Point Contest generally boasts a ton of star power, but plenty of role players have won before (Kapono, Marco Belinelli, James Jones, Daequan Cook and Voshon Lenard, among others). With the spotlight on the Curry brothers, Harris could play the spoiler.
Nowitzki will be a sentimental favorite for many fans. The New York Times‘ Marc Stein first reported in January the NBA planned on extending an invitation to the Dallas Mavericks legend, and both Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade were ceremonial additions to the respective All-Star squads.
The 40-year-old hasn’t explicitly said he will retire after the 2018-19 season, but this will almost certainly be the last time he’s showcased during All-Star Weekend.
Nowitzki had ankle surgery last April that kept him out for the start of the season. The injury appears to be lingering still, as he’s hitting just 29.8 percent of his three-pointers through 21 games.
Perhaps the 2006 three-point champion can dig deep to deliver one more indelible moment in a Hall of Fame career.
from Top Viral News Blog http://bit.ly/2UORcOv
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