Harris puts on a show to capture 3-point title

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina - Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Harris defeated Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry in the 3-Point Contest on NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Spectrum Center.

Harris made nine in a row on the second and third racks and again mopped up on the moneyball rack with all five shots dropping for a 26-point round.

He reached the finals after picking up 25 points in the first round.

Curry, who made the three-man finals along with Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield, fell short despite making nine of his first 10 to open the championship round. He finished with 24 points in the finals.

"I'm ust fortunate to be here; we were talking about it coming in, some of the best shooters of all-time," said Harris.

He added that he gained an edge by starting the event as the first shooter.

"I actually thought it'd be an advantage," Harris said.

Hield went 4 of 5 on each of the final two racks and totaled 19 in the finals.

Curry brought the crowd to its feet with 27 first-round points, draining all five of his final tries on the moneyball rack and 10 straight.

Each shooter had five racks of five basketballs, one in each corner, one on each wing and one at the top of the key.

Four of the racks have a moneyball, worth two points, and one rack is positioned at the shooter's preferred location - with five moneyballs. That rack has a potential value of 10 points.

Curry was the second-to-last shooter in the opening round, before defending champion Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns finished with 23 to bow out.

Hield claimed the first-round lead with 26 points, draining four moneyballs on his final rack.

Harris set the bar high out of the gate to open the shooting. He drained all five of his shots on his final rack and made nine of his final 10 to pick up 25 points in the first round.

Toronto Raptors guard Danny Green nearly put himself in the finals with 23 points.

Seth Curry put up 16 points, sparked by a streak of four splashes in a row on his second rack, before Portland Blazers teammate Damian Lillard was credited with 17 points.

"It's like a dream come true coming out here," said Seth Curry, a Charlotte native who is Stephen Curry's brother. "I dreamed of being in the 3-Point Contest and putting on a show."

Hometown favorite Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets had 15 points, getting three of his five from the moneyball rack to go down. Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, a former 3-point champion, ran out of gas and had 17 points.

Reuters