Nuggets’ Jamal Murray Falls Flat in 3-Point Contest

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray came up short of a 3-Point Contest victory in his first-ever appearance in the event during this year's All-Star Saturday.

Instead, it would be Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard being the one to take home the win, claiming his third-ever win at the event throughout his entire career, and having done so without even playing a regular season game so far this year.

An impressive feat for Lillard, no doubt. And as for Murray, he wound up falling short of even advancing past the first round.

Murray shot a combined score of 18 within his round of shots, and it wouldn't be enough to move on as one of the final three participants in the second round.

It would actually wind up as one of the three lowest totals amongst the eight shooters, only with Tyrese Maxey at 17 and Bobby Portis at 15 ranking lower than Murray's total.

Jamal Murray Fails to Win First 3-Point Contest

The real hit to Murray's chances of advancing was his lackluster "money ball" rack, placed at the top of the key where he would only make one of his total five shots, and kept him short of coming close to the required number to advance past the first round.

That "money ball" rack at the top of the key would actually end up as his worst rack for the event altogether, and in turn, really limited his ceiling for the necessary points to advance.

Also missing two of the "From the Logo" shots that were worth a whopping three points, didn't help Murray's case to advance either. Especially when some of his competitors, such as Devin Booker, had 30 points in the first round on his part, starting out cold from the jump simply won't cut it to win the 3-Points contest crown.

Feb 14, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) competes in the three point contest during the 2026 NBA All Star Saturday Night at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Instead, it would be Lillard, Kon Knueppel, and Devin Booker as the final three to move past the initial round of eight, with Lillard narrowly edging out Booker as the one to win the event.

Lillard led the way with 29 points heading into Booker's final round of shots. And after a hot start, Booker had gotten to 23 total points heading into his last rack of "money ball" shots, where each of his makes was worth two a piece.

After what seemed like a destined win for Booker after he had claimed 17 points, he followed up two makes with three straight misses on the final rack, failed to add any more to his total, and would lead Lillard to the win, and a tough end for the Phoenix Suns guard for what would've also made for his third-ever win in the event.

Thankfully, Murray will have a chance to take the All-Star stage once again on Sunday, when he and Nikola Jokic take part in the All-Star Game as part of Team World.

Jamal Murray Fails to Win First 3-Point Contest

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