Curry vs. Ionescu and the NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest Odds, Prediction

The 3-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend is a slick showcase of the mental fortitude and skills from some of the greatest shooters in the game. It may not get the “wow” factor of the Slam Dunk competition, but by the end of the event fans and players around the league are reminded of who the bad, bad, men are.

Speaking of men there is a special twist for the 2024 edition in Indianapolis. In addition to the traditional version of the contest, there is a bonus. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors will face off against Sabrina Ionescu of the WNBA’s New York Liberty.

Let’s get down to business and make some predictions.

Don’t forget to check out the NBA odds and Specials for tons of basketball action.

Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu

The special event at this year’s edition features a 3-Point competition involving one of the NBA’s living legends, Stephen Curry, and a rising star of the WNBA, Sabrina Ionescu.

It’s great marketing and is a nice coming together of two sibling leagues. But why is this happening? Why should the 2015 and 2021 champ play against a WNBA star? Well, Sabrina Ionescu did two things at last year’s WNBA 3-Point contest. First, she won, so we know she’s pretty good at this stuff. Second, she scored more points (37) than any NBA player had in their editions. Finally, she jokingly challenged Curry on X afterward.

Well, challenged happily accepted! As per this NBA Special, Curry is favoured at -294, whereas Ionescu is priced at +210.

What’s more, Ionescu has agreed to fire from NBA range at the top of the key, that being 23 feet and nine inches. She was invited to shoot from the WNBA’s 22 feet, one and ¾ distance, but she gladly accepted to compete at Curry’s level.

There is an opportunity for tons of points at this event. In addition to the five racks holding regular balls (one point) and the money balls (two points) there will be two Starry balls worth three points. The latter will have to be shot from a further distance.

Prediction: Curry is a machine and would probably like to own a new record. Ionescu is a sharpshooter from long range, but Curry is a legend. Curry wins.

 3-Point Contest Format, Money Balls and Starry Balls

As for the traditional 3-Point contest, this little downloadable document courtesy of the NBA should fill in all the gaps.

The drive-by version is seven players will compete. Five racks are placed at five different spots along the three-point arc. Each rack has five balls. Four racks are filled with four regular balls worth a single point and a money ball worth two points. One rack will contain five money balls. There are also two Starry balls to be shot from a slightly further distance and those will be worth three points.

Players have 70 seconds to shoot everything and the three best players advanced to the second and final round.

3-Point Contest Players, Lillard Defending Champ

Which players are vying for 3-Point supremacy? There is the defending champion, Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks. He’s also the favourite to repeat at +360.

His challengers are:

Malik Beasley, Milwaukee Bucks at +500

Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers at +500

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks at +550

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks +625

Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz at +625

Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers at +700

Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves at +800

That’s a cast of deadly assassins if there ever was one. Lillard’s Milwaukee teammate Malik Beasley is shooting an insane 46.8 per cent from three this season, although he only takes 6.5 shots a night.

Tyrese Haliburton will have the home crowd behind him, not to mention his ruthless 40 per cent efficiency. He hits 3.2 of his 7.9 attempts per game.

How can there be a 3-Point contest without Atlanta’s Trae Young, Mr. Logo Shot? He’s having another fine campaign with 37.1 per cent success rate courtesy of 3.3-for-9.0 shooting.

Jalen Brunson has justly arrived at the All-Star festivities with 2.7-for-6.5, good for 41.1 per cent.

The Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen could be a dark horse. He’s not a team that gets much coverage in the media, but he hits 3.2 of his 8 attempts per game, good for 40.3 per cent.

Donovan Mitchell’s season has been sensational, but he’s the shooter in this competition with the lowest efficiency at 36.1 per cent. That said, he takes a ton per match (9.1)

Karl-Anthony Towns is the sneaky entry. The reality is that he’s quite proficient from long range, making 43.7 per cent of his attempts. On the flip, he takes the fewest of this group with only 5.1.

3-Point Contest Prediction

This one is though. Betting against Dame Time seems foolish, but who knows how much pressure there is in crunch time? These are prideful players who all want to win.

If one wants to go against the grain and assume Lillard won’t repeat, the two who stand out are Brunson and Haliburton. Both have been linchpins for their respective clubs this season. That Haliburton takes and makes so many shots from distance on a game-by-game basis – more than Brunson – and that he’s at home for this event might be the path to victory.

Tyrese Haliburton wins the 3-Point contest