From continued distance, nobody's abutting to Jason Kapono. The NBA's best 3-point ballista this season, Toronto's advanced with the cottony blow won his additional beeline 3-point Shootout on All-Star Saturday, attached a 22-year-old almanac with a final annular of 25.
Kapono absent his aboriginal two shots in the aftermost annular afore bottomward 10 straight. By the time he approached the aftermost arbor of balls, Kapono had already clinched the win and didn't accept to blaze up addition shot.
But he agape bottomward a few added anyway, analogous three-time champ Craig Hodges' mark of 25 set in 1986. When his final attempt swished through, Kapono, who fabricated all bristles money assurance — account two credibility apiece — and went 20-for-25 in the aftermost round, slapped high-fives with added All-Stars and hugged Raptors assistant Chris Bosh.
Cleveland's Daniel Gibson, who fabricated 11 3-pointers in Friday night's amateur claiming accomplished second. He denticulate 17 credibility in the final round, finishing three credibility advanced of Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, who replaced afflicted Los Angeles Lakers brilliant Kobe Bryant.
Kapono about didn't get out of the aboriginal round. He was in crisis of abolishment as he approached the aftermost arbor but came through in the clamp by biconcave bristles beeline shots to advance.
In the Skills Challenge, Utah's Deron Williams was absolute and fast.
With a about absolute run through an obstacle advance of dribbling, casual and shooting, the Jazz point bouncer defeated New Orleans playmaker Chris Paul in the final round.
Williams blazed up, bottomward and about the attic of the New Orleans Arena in 25.5 seconds, a new almanac for the six-year-old event. Cheered on by his home crowd, Paul, who completed the ambit in 29.9 abnormal in the aboriginal round, accomplished in 31.2 abnormal for additional place.
Williams and Paul are admired as the abutting address of aristocratic point guard, and they agape off one of the best anytime — Jason Kidd — as the All-Star weekend angled off with a blithe night of fun.
"It's a rivalry," Williams said of his claimed antagonism with Paul. "We like to go adjoin anniversary other."
Kidd couldn't get his attempt from the top of the key to abatement and accomplished third in 39.7 seconds. At atomic he was bigger than Miami's Dwyane Wade, aftermost year's winner, who had aloof about aggregate go amiss during his run.
In the night's aboriginal event, San Antonio's Becky Hammon, David Robinson and Tim Duncan won the Cutting Stars competition. It featured three-person teams consisting of an NBA player, a WNBA amateur and a aloft NBA abundant from the aforementioned city. Contestants had to accomplish six shots with the final one a boost from mid-court.
The black assured with a bang douse challenge that promised to be one of the best absorbing in years.
Orlando centermost Dwight Howard, who didn't accomplish it out of the aboriginal annular in aftermost year's challenge admitting authoritative a douse afterwards slapping a sticker address his face on the backboard's bottle — 12 feet, 6 inches aloft the attic — was aiming to become the tallest adversary to win the event.
The 6-foot-11 centermost promised some surprises, including props. Boston's Gerald Green, the arresting champion, Toronto's Jamario Moon and Memphis' Rudy Gay were additionally in the field.
