Bucks' Damian Lillard Falls Short of Three-Peat, Eliminated in NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest

In a shocker, nine-time All-Star Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard failed to even advance out of the first round of Saturday's 3-Point Contest during 2025 All-Star Weekend at Chase Center.

The Oakland native, who had been looking to become the first player to three-point in the 3-Point Contest since Chicago Bulls combo guard Craig Hodges achieved the deed in 1993, couldn't get the job done.

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In his first (and last) round of play, Lillard finished with 16 points, not enough to catch the three players who advanced — Golden State Warriors (who notched a record-tying 31 points), All-Star Miami Heat shooting guard Tyler Herro, and two-time All-Star Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland.

That tally was actually the fourth-best among the competing pool, as New York Knicks All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson finished with 18 points.

Damian Lillard's #Starry3PT reign comes to an end as he is eliminated in the first round 😱

Moving on:
◻️ Buddy Hield
◻️ Darius Garland
◻️ Tyler Herro pic.twitter.com/zEfafuitMX
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 16, 2025

A frustrated Lillard could be seen cursing after missing out on a second round appearance.

Damian Lillard said “Fuck” after not making it to the second round pic.twitter.com/NOWXD3ZTSb
— Follow For More Clips (@Heavenlybuckets) February 16, 2025

Herro, a Milwaukee native, narrowly bested Hield in front of his homecourt's fans in the final, 24-23. It was his second appearance in the competition, but his first win. The 6-foot-5 wing is a 38 percent shooter from distance this year.

A LIGHTS-OUT PERFORMANCE FROM @raf_tyler 🎯

The @MiamiHEAT sharpshooter takes home the #Starry3PT trophy! https://t.co/F9jMDQEA0k pic.twitter.com/tVzdGbahc1
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 16, 2025

Next up for the Bucks, Lillard's starting backcourt mate Andre Jackson Jr. will look to upset another standout competitor looking to secure a three-peat of his own. The second-year swingman will strive to take down Orlando Magic two-way player Mac McClung, who's hoping to win his third consecutive AT&T Slam Dunk Contest.

Lillard may have missed out on a relatively meaningless competition this weekend, but the 34-year-old likely has his sights set on a bigger prize: winning his first NBA title with Milwaukee this spring. To that end, the team is currently 29-22 at the All-Star break, good for the Eastern Conference's No. 5 overall seed.

This season, the 6-foot-2 Weber State product has been connecting on 38.2 percent of 3-point attempts on 9.1 triple tries per bout. Across 44 games thus far, the seven-time All-NBA honoree is averaging 25.8 points on .452/.382/.921 shooting splits, 7.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals a night.

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