Eric Gordon returns to New Orleans and wins NBA 3-point contest

Eric Gordon returned to New Orleans and won the NBA’s 3-Point Shootout after a strong contest with Kyrie Irving.

The NBA’s 3-Point Shootout is probably the most consistent event of All-Star weekend. The Skills Challenge needs something exciting to happen to really be fun. The Slam Dunk Contest has the highest of highs, but the hype for it can cause extreme lows.

Meanwhile, the 3-Point Shootout is always there giving basketball fans a solid performance. The shooters shoot well, there’s usually a close race at the end, and sometimes someone gets hot and can’t miss. It’s fun.

This year’s competition started off a little slow. Kemba Walker came out with 19 points, Kyrie Irving topped him with a last-second money ball for 20, and then Wesley Matthews put up 11 somehow.

Luckily, Eric Gordon broke the low scoring barrier with a good 24. With a top three set, the rest of the competition had a score to beat to get in. Nick Young was unable to move on coming up one point short of Walker. Then, making Walker feel even more comfortable, C.J. McCollum went out and put up a 10. Yes, a 10.

Wasn’t this supposed to be a competition of great shooting? Well, don’t tell Kyle Lowry that, because he finished with 11.

Then, there was the defending champion Klay Thompson. Surely he would go out there and light up the scoreboards for all to see? Sorry Kemba Walker, but it’s time to head back to the hotel and get ready for the big game tomorrow. Wait what?

Thompson was actually eliminated, making this the upset of the night. He was the guaranteed favorite of any weekend event, but the deadye shooter just couldn’t do enough to win it. The finalists were Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving and Eric Gordon.

Walker got the final round started, but he couldn’t top his first round score and finished with 17 points. He had a chance to go into the final shooter of the night with a chance to win, but Irving once again hit the last few shots he needed to pass Walker for a score of 20.

With Eric Gordon surpassing that easily in the first round it was clearly his competition to win. Except he didn’t! Gordon had the competition won. He just had to make two on his final rack. Instead, he only made one, and they had to go to a tiebreaker between Irving and Gordon.

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Irving went into the final round and put up a score of 18. It looked like he got tired after missing his final four shots, and for the first time tonight he didn’t put up 20. Once again, it was Gordon’s contest to win.

Irving needed to put up a better score the second time around. When Gordon got his second chance he didn’t waste it and put up 21 points to finally flatten Irving.