Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro wins 3-point contest; Cleveland Cavaliers duo take skills challenge
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro celebrates with the trophy after winning the three-point contest during All Star Saturday Night.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
SAN FRANCISCO – The Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro said he was “lucky” as he made both of his three-point bonus balls in the final round and won the three-point contest during All-Star Saturday in San Francisco on Feb 15.
Earlier in the evening, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ duo of Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell won the skills challenge.
Herro won the three-point crown with a score of 24 in the final round to get the best of Darius Garland of the Cavaliers, who posted 19, and Buddy Hield of hosts the Golden State Warriors, with 23.
He became the fifth Heat player to win the long-distance shooting competition after James Jones (2011), Daequan Cook (2009), Jason Kapono (2007) and Glen Rice (1995).
Herro went first in the final round, with Garland eliminated when he followed with a 19. Hield could have forced an extra round against Herro if he made all five two-point shots on his final rack but he missed the fourth of the bunch.
“I got lucky,” Herro said on the TNT broadcast.
“I thought Buddy was going to run off the last five there, so it was a great competition. Buddy’s a great shooter, a bunch of great shooters that competed, so just happy to be here.”
Hield had the highest score of the first round with a 31, matching the most ever in a round with the Warriors’ Stephen Curry (2021) and the Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton (2023).
Five competitors were eliminated in the three-point first round – Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons), Cam Johnson (Brooklyn Nets), Norman Powell (Los Angeles Clippers) and Damian Lillard (Milwaukee Bucks).
In the skills challenge, the Cavaliers delivered a final-round time of an even one minute, while the Warriors’ Draymond Green and Moses Moody were unable to top the combined time of Mobley and Mitchell.
The four-team skills challenge consisted of an obstacle-style course that had two passing tests, three shooting stations, one more passing station followed by a half-court drive to the basket and lay-up.
Mobley also was a part of the Cavaliers’ three-player squad that won the skills challenge in 2022.
The San Antonio Spurs’ duo of Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama were disqualified from the opening round after not making a legitimate shot attempt at any of the three shooting stations, while simply concentrating on time.
Mac McClung, meanwhile, won an unprecedented third consecutive NBA Slam Dunk title with four perfect scores.
He leapt over a car and three people to deliver dunks that received perfect 50-point judges’ scores in the first round and final to become the first dunker to win three years in a row, and match Nate Robinson as the only three-time Slam Dunk winners. REUTERS, AFP
