Karl-Anthony Towns was crowned the NBA MNT Dew 3-Point champion last night. Becoming the first Center since 2006 to do so, here’s how he did it.
When the field was announced for the 2022 NBA MNT Dew 3-Point Contest, fans began creating and sharing memes featuring the song One Thing is Not Like the Other from Sesame Street, citing how Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Center Karl-Anthony Towns did not fit the normal guard-centric event.
Oh, how Towns proved his online critics wrong.
Prior to the event, KAT proclaimed he was going to win the event. He followed through with his claim, becoming the first Timberwolve to do so since Kevin Love 10 years ago in Orlando. And, Towns became the first Center to win the 3-Point Contest since Dirk Nowitzki in 2006.
2022 NBA MNT Dew 3-Point Contest Participants
- Desmond Bane – Memphis Grizzlies
- Luke Kennard – LA Clippers
- CJ McCollum (three-time participant) – New Orleans Pelicans
- Patty Mills – Brooklyn Nets
- Zach Lavine (three-time participant) – Chicago Bulls
- Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves
- Fred VanVleet – Toronto Raptors
- Trae Young (two-time participant) – Atlanta Hawks
Setting the record for most points in a final round (29) @KarlTowns of the @Timberwolves wins the #MtnDew3PT! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/hKJq5iBfZ6
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2022
Despite the event featuring three returning shooters from previous years, the 2022 3-Point contest still felt fresh because many of the participants were new to the event and because Towns won his first-time participating that hammered home the fresh feeling.
Round One Scores
- Bane: 18
- Kennard: 25
- McCollum: 19
- Mills: 21
- Lavine: 14
- Towns: 22
- VanVleet: 16
- Young: 22
Karl-Anthony Towns sets a finals record (29) to become the #MtnDew3PT Champion! pic.twitter.com/tB4rVxFmjA
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2022
Second and Final Round Scores
- Towns: 29
- Young: 26
- Kennard: 26
Towns opened the second and final round of the 3-point contest and set the stage for an excellent final round scoring 29 points, which is the most points scored in the final round of the event ever. Eclipsing Stephen Curry and Devin Booker‘s previous shared mark of 28 points.
Young made things interesting with 22-points heading into his final rack, he just didn’t have lady luck on his side tonight. Kennard only had 18 heading into his final rack, which was not even if he would have been perfect on his fifth rack he did not have enough to surpass KAT.
This event brought the most excitement of the night, it has been that way for a bit now. After yet another lackluster Dunk Contest the league needs to seriously consider shaking up their format and closing out All-Star Saturday Night with their 3-point assassins.