© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Bucks star Damian Lillard comes up clutch, defends 3-Point Contest title
Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard is the 3-Point Contest King once again, securing his back-to-back crown in this year's competition in the All-Star Saturday Night.
Dame Time is Win Time
Damian scored 26 to force a four-way tie in the opening round. He then knocked out Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton in the tiebreaker shootout in which he, Trae Young, and Karl-Anthony Towns ultimately advanced to the final round.
In the last round, both Towns (22) and Young (24) initially poured treys, but Lillard came out with a bang and a clutch final bucket to conclude the title contest with the highest score (26). The Bucks All-Star missed four of his first five shots but responded by draining seven of his last eight triples. Dame also sank 4-of-5 money balls, which emerged as a huge catalyst for his triumph.
Fellow Milwaukee sharpshooter Malik Beasley poured 20 points in the first round but came short of entering the championship round.
Going for more history
With the win, Lillard served as the first back-to-back 3-Point Contest Champion since Jason Kapono, who completed the feat in 2007-08. He also became the first 3-Point Shootout Champion representing Milwaukee since Ray Allen (2001).
As he successfully defended his title this year in Indianapolis, Dame vies to make history further. According to TNT’s Chris Haynes, the Bucks sensation expressed openness to participating in next year's All-Star Weekend and going for a three-peat finish in front of his hometown Bay Area crowd.
Only Larry Bird managed to secure a three-peat championship run in the entire history of the NBA’s 3-Point Contest. As such, Dame already has his eyes on the prize of next year's contest to join the basketball legend in the glorious club.
