NBA 3-Point Contest: Participants, Prediction & Odds

3 three point contest, who what players, participants, prediction, odds

Klay Thompson is the favorite to win the 3-Point Contest. (Getty)

Klay Thompson looks to defend his 3-Point crown in the 2017 contest. Thompson won the 2016 contest over teammate Steph Curry, but will not be battling Curry in tonight’s contest.

Thompson is averaging 3.3 3-pointers per game this season and is shooting .418 percent from behind the arc. He will be challenged by Portland Trail Blazers sharpshooter C.J. McCollum. He is averaging 2.5 3-pointers made per game and is shooting close to Thompson’s percentage at .412 percent this season.

Kyrie Irving and Kyle Lowry are two of the biggest stars in the contest. Irving averages 2.4 made 3-pointers a game and shoots .395 percent from the 3-point line. Lowry makes 3.3 per game and is shooting .419 percent from behind the arc.

Here’s a look at the Vegas odds for the 3-point contest courtesy of OddsShark. The players are listed in order from greatest to least odds to win.


Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors) +175
C.J. McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers) +500
Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers) +500
Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors) +650
Eric Gordon (Houston Rockets) +750
Nick Young (Los Angeles Lakers) +850
Wes Matthews (Dallas Mavericks) +850
Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets) +950

Thompson has the experience of participating in the contest and does not have to compete with Curry who has been one of the best players in the 3-point shootout. It takes a different skill set to do well in the contest. Players are grabbing basketballs from a rack which is much different than shooting off a pass. We like Thompson’s experience to give him another title. Lowry is shooting as well as anyone in the league and he’s our pick for runner-up.

Heavy’s Pick: 1. Klay Thompson 2. Kyle Lowry 3. C.J. McCollum