The 2018 Three-Point Contest ended with Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns winning over other finalists, Klay Thompson and Tobias Harris. Booker was able to hold off Harris and Thompson by putting up a record 28 points in the final round.
Harris, of the Los Angeles Clippers, started off the competition with a score of 18. Miami’s Wayne Ellington, a first-time three-point contestant, followed Harris by posting 17 points in the first round.
Paul George, who underperformed in the 2013 contest, did nothing to avenge his original performance and managed to score a total of 9 points.
Booker, in the first round, scored 19 points, but an error with the TNT graphic indicated he had only been awarded 17 points. After a review, Booker’s 19 points stood. Toronto’s Kyle Lowry looked a bit sluggish during his outing as he finished with a modest 11 points.
Bradley Beal, who was competing in his second three-point contest put up 15 and did not advance. Thompson entered the opening round by tying Booker’s 19 and eliminating Ellington. Last year’s champion Eric Gordon would not proceed after scoring 12 points.
In the final round, Harris started off hot but quickly faded and set the bar at 17. The second round saw Booker catch a rhythm and set a new three-point contest record with 28 points. 2015 three-point contest winner Stephen Curry, previously held the record with 27 points. Thompson, who won in 2016, also scored a record-setting 27 points.
Thompson finished strong and came within a few points of Booker, but ultimately his 25 points in the final round weren’t enough to catch Booker. The win came in what was Booker’s second time competing in the contest; he first participated in 2016.
