Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton both reach finals of NBA 3-point contest, fall to Damian Lillard
Indiana Pacers guards Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield both reached the final round of Saturday night's NBA 3-point contest, though neither player was able to emerge with a victory.
The event started with eight players, and all eight participated in the first round. The top three scorers among the group would proceed to the finals.
Only three players finished with a score over 20 in the first round, and the Pacers guards were two of them. Hield finished with 23 points, just three clear of Boston's Jayson Tatum and Utah's Lauri Markkanen, to reach the finals. Haliburton, meanwhile, had 31 points in the first round, which tied a 3-point contest record. Both players proceeded to the finals along with Portland star Damian Lillard, who scored 26 points in round one.
In the finals, the players shot in reverse order of their first round scores, so Hield was first. The 2020 3-point contest champion and Pacers single season three pointers made record holder finished with 25 points, a respectable mark for the final round. The pressure is heightened in the finals, and the time between attempts makes things difficult.
Lillard then went second, and he made his final four shot attempts to finish with 26 points, one better than Hield. Hield was on camera during Lillard's round and was crushed to see the last shots go down.
Haliburton was last up, and 26 was the score to beat. He finished with 31 in the first round, but didn't have it in the finals. The All-Star guard posted a 17, meaning Lillard won the contest over both Pacers players.
"I think all the best shooters in the history of our game, most of them have one of these," Lillard said on the broadcast while holding his trophy. "I just wanted to get it done at least one time. So I'm happy I got it, now I can retire from [the 3-point contest]."
Haliburton, meanwhile, said he wants to run it back and participate in the contest again next year, when All-Star weekend is in Indianapolis.
"Just book Tyrese for next year," Haliburton said, per the Pacers. "I'll be in the contest next year, I'm going to get this back."
Hield's All-Star weekend is over, while Haliburton will play in the All-Star game on Sunday night. Indiana returns to practices early next week before their final 22 games of the season.
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