KAT becomes 1st big man since 2012 to win Three-Point Contest
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns won Saturday's Three-Point Contest with a final round score of 29.
He's the first big man and T-Wolves player since Kevin Love in 2012 to finish first in the competition.
🚨 Karl-Anthony Towns opens the final round of #MtnDew3PT with 29! 🚨
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2022
2 shooters left on TNT. #NBAAllStar #StateFarmSaturday pic.twitter.com/lyfAOUv6Es
Towns surpassed Devin Booker's final-round record of 28 set four years ago in Los Angeles. The former No. 1 overall pick was particularly efficient on his money rack, knocking down 4-of-5 attempts from the top of the key.
Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and Luke Kennard of the Los Angeles Clippers tied for second place.
Final round
| Player | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Karl-Anthony Towns | T-Wolves | 29 |
| Trae Young | Hawks | 26 |
| Luke Kennard | Clippers | 26 |
Kennard blew away the competition in the opening round, leading all players with a score of 28. He drained all five attempts from the middle rack and made one "Dew Zone" shot worth three points.
Luke Kennard is the early leader in Round 1 of #MtnDew3PT with a score of 28!
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2022
4 shooters left, top 3 advance.#NBAAllStar #StateFarmSaturday pic.twitter.com/YgPWhfw3Mk
Towns nearly missed out on the final round but made five of his last seven triples to advance.
Young also needed to rally from behind. The two-time All-Star drilled a money ball on his final shot attempt to leapfrog Brooklyn Nets guard Patty Mills for the last spot in the championship round.
| Player | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Luke Kennard* | Clippers | 28 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns* | T-Wolves | 22 |
| Trae Young* | Hawks | 22 |
| Patty Mills | Nets | 21 |
| CJ McCollum | Pelicans | 19 |
| Desmond Bane | Grizzlies | 18 |
| Fred VanVleet | Raptors | 16 |
| Zach LaVine | Bulls | 14 |
*advanced to final round
There were no previous winners in this year's event.