Klay Thompson is back to defend his Three-Point Shootout title, and he has reason to think he will do it. Teammate and fellow sweet shooter Stephen Curry won’t be in the field this year, making Thompson the clear-cut player to beat.
The Splash Brothers are the two best shooters in the NBA, as evidenced by each winning a Three-Point Shootout within the past two years. Thompson will look to add another title to his resume in an eight-player field.
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Klay Thompson is shooting 41.8 percent from the three-point range and is a career 42 percent shooter from downtown. That’s with a hand in his face much of the time. Without any defenders, expect Thompson to hit at a better than 60 percent clip.
As he showed in last year’s Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Thompson can get blazing hot and nothing can slow him down. If he gets in a groove in this one, he will be hard to beat. Thompson’s odds are listed at +125 to win the three-point shootout, which is much better than anyone else in the field.
Kyrie Irving may be Thompson’s top competition. He is the only other former winner of the event, taking the Three-Point Shootout back in 2013. Irving, though, isn’t known as the same type of knockdown shooter as Thompson and is listed with odds of +550. Irving’s career three-point percentage is 37.9 and he is shooting 38.9 percent this season.
C.J. McCollum has the next-best odds. He isn’t used to the bright lights of All-Star Weekend but is shooting 41.1 percent from three-point range this season so he could be sneaky good candidate to win. While some may choose Irving because he is a defending champion, McCollum at +650 odds is a much better choice.
Eric Gordon is another player who will aim to be in the mix. He is known for his ability to hit the outside shot and has odds of +700 to win this Three-Point Shootout. Nick Young may be entertaining but it’s hard to imagine he is consistent enough to challenge the favorites. His odds are +850.
Wesley Matthews and Kemba Walker round out the contestants but both are extreme longshots to win. Matthews seems like a better bet than Walker if you want to go for a real underdog in this one, although neither figure to make a real run at the title.
Three-Point Shootout Details
Each player shoots five basketballs from five different spots around the arc and must be sure to get them all off within the allotted time period. The fifth ball of each rack is known as the “money ball” and worth two points.
It looks different and the players that can sink the money balls have a big advantage. There will be two rounds in the competition, with the three highest scores advancing to the final one, where the champion will be crowned.
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Thompson is such a heavy favorite that it doesn’t make sense to pick him in a competition that features eight shooters. Instead, one of the underdogs should be identified as a possible contender.
While Thompson is expected to win, an off night would allow for the rest of the field to stay in the chase. While Irving will bring in some money, he isn’t as pure of a shooter as a guy like McCollum.
The Trail Blazers’ star has really improved over the last couple of seasons and is a knockdown shooter. His odds are good because he doesn’t have the name recognition, and bettors should take advantage of it. If he wins, it will pay off handsomely.
NBA Three-Point Shootout Pick: C.J. McCollum
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