CLEVELAND — He said he was going to do it, and he did it with style.
Minnesota All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns showed off his long-range shooting skills and was a surprising winner of the NBA All-Star Weekend three-point shooting contest, scoring a record 29 points in his final round.
Towns beat Luke Kennard of the Clippers and Atlanta’s Trae Young in the final round in Cleveland, and he had a simple message for everyone who said a true center can't shoot the long ball.
Following the Timberwolves loss to Toronto on Wednesday, Towns told reporters that he was not going to the All-Star Weekend in Cleveland just to show up, saying he wanted to win not only the 3-point contest but also the All-Star Game MVP award.
He is on the roster for Sunday's game.
Towns has long considered himself the best-shooting big man in the game and vowed he was going to back up his boasts with a victory.
“I needed this trophy to prove it,” Towns said.
Brooklyn’s Patty Mills, Toronto’s Fred VanVleet, former Wolves star Zach LaVine of Chicago, Memphis’ Desmond Bane, and New Orleans’ CJ McCollum failed to advance.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.