NBA Three-Point Contest Odds, Picks & Participants 2023
- Buddy Hield and Damian Lillard have the shortest odds to win the NBA Three-Point Contest on Saturday night
- Hield skipped the event last year, after winning it in 2021
- Keep reading for the complete list of odds for the NBA Three-Point Contest, plus predictions
If the slam dunk competition is the crown jewel of NBA All-Star Saturday Night, than the three-point contest is the five-star appetizer.
Year after year, it produces incredible theatre. Thanks to the new rule changes, the drama doesn’t stop until the last rack is emptied, making this event must see TV.
Saturday’s participant list includes plenty of household names, in addition to the game’s top marksmen. Just one former champ is in the field, and to no one’s surprise he is the current betting co-favorite.
NBA Three-Point Contest Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Buddy Hield | +425 |
| Damian Lillard | +425 |
| Jayson Tatum | +500 |
| Tyler Herro | +550 |
| Kevin Huerter | +550 |
| Tyrese Haliburton | +600 |
| Julius Randle | +650 |
| Lauri Markkanen | +700 |
Odds as of Feb. 17, 2023, at DraftKings. See all the DraftKings promo code options.
The Pacers’ Buddy Hield has the shortest odds, along with the Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard. If choosing from the top, Hield is the clear selection – as we’ll explain, however don’t sleep on the longshots.
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NBA 3-Point Contest Rules
Before we get into the picks, let’s briefly discuss the rules. Players have 70 seconds to shoot 27 balls from five locations around the arc. That puts an emphasis on having a quick trigger.
Four of the racks contain regular game-balls, worth 1 point, and one multi-coloured moneyball worth 2 points. The final rack contains nothing but moneyballs, and is typically the rack that makes or breaks a players round.
There are also two ball pedestals positioned at deep ranges in between racks two and three, and three and four. Each pedestal contains a special white “starry” ball worth three points for a make.
Top of the Board
Hield is in the midst of one of the most efficient shooting seasons of his career. He’s launching nine threes per game, making 42.6% of his attempts. His 3.8 made threes per night are second in the field behind only Lillard, and as a former champion he understands how to navigate the competition and come out on top.
Hield has made it out of the preliminary round in both of his appearances, narrowly missing out on the final in 2019 when he was edged out by Steph Curry and Joe Harris.
27 PTS, 4 REB, 6 3PM
Buddy Hield sets a new single-season Pacers record with 230 made threes 🎯 pic.twitter.com/bpLcUbWdPG
— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2023
As for Lillard, he’ll also be making his third career appearance, but he’s yet to advance to a final. He came close to the final in 2014, while he didn’t threaten the finalists in 2019.
If there was ever a year for Lillard to break his three-point contest slump this would be it. He’s averaging a career-high 31.2 points per game, shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc. His 11 three-point attempts are second in the league, behind only Steph Curry, while Curry and splash brother Klay Thompson are the only two players who average more made triples than Lillard per contest.
However, his poor track at this event and short price tag make him a fade for me. Lillard has established himself as a volume three-point shooter, but his efficiency is actually the third lowest of all the competitors.
Markkanen the Marksman
Hield has the best three-point percentage of any player in the field, but right behind him is Lauri Markkanen at 41.2%. Markkanen is averaging career-highs in nearly every offensive category this season, including points, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage.
He’s become the focal point of the Jazz’s offense, and he can get white hot from beyond the arc. He made 49% of threes in November, and has 17 games of at least four made triples this season. Markannen has made six or more threes in seven of those outings, and is used to firing with a quick trigger.
Lauri Markkanen put on a scoring clinic last night. He can really do it all. Post-up's, cutting, catch and shoot… his passing was also big down the stretch, finished with 5 assists, 3 in the last 4 minutes. Really impressive game from the all star pic.twitter.com/8NnvYnK4xu
— NBA ROOKIES (@nba_rooks) February 11, 2023
He averages 2.8 made threes on catch and shoots this season, second most in the league behind Thompson. Hield ranks right behind him, while Lillard isn’t even among the top-50. Just another reason to back Hield instead, as well as Markkanen as our longshot selection.
Picks: Buddy Hield (+425), Lauri Markkanen (+700)
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As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
