NBA 3-Point Contest Picks, Projections, & Participants for PrizePicks

NBA All-Star Weekend is upon us, and All-Star Saturday brings us a majority of the festivities, featuring the 2025 3-Point Contest, prior to the 2025 Slam Dunk Contest.

Below, we’ll give you the 2025 3-Point Contest picks, projections, and analysis for PrizePicks across the field of eight of the NBA’s best 3-point shooters. 

Damian Lillard headlines the event once again, in his fifth appearance and third straight year competing. Lillard is looking to complete a 3-Point three-peat and is one of two players in Saturday night’s festivities going for a three-peat, with Mac McClung in the Slam Dunk Contest.

There are plenty of threats to deny Lillard’s three-peat including former winner Buddy Hield and three other players who are shooting above 40 percent from three — Darius Garland, Cam Johnson, and Norman Powell. 

We’ve got everything you need to lock in for today’s NBA preview for the 3-Point Contest. PrizePicks is the easiest way to get real money action on tonight’s 3-Point Contest. Pick more or less on player stat projections — from money balls to First Round points and much more — and get paid if your picks are correct.

Let’s dive into the 3-Point Contest 2025 picks and projections below.

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2025 NBA 3-Point Contest Participants

Here are the eight participants in the NBA 3-Point Contest for 2025, along with their 3-point field goal percentage so far in 2025.

• Knicks PG Jalen Brunson — 39.7% 3P%
• Pistons PG Cade Cunningham — 35.1% 3P%
• Cavaliers PG Darius Garland — 43.1% 3P%
• Heat SG Tyler Herro — 38% 3P%
• Warriors SG Buddy Hield — 36.3% 3P%
• Nets SF Cameron Johnson — 41.3% 3P%
• Bucks PG Damian Lillard — 39.2% 3P%
• Clippers G Norman Powell — 42.9% 3P%

NBA 3-Point Contest Format

The format for the 2025 3-Point Contest has seen some changes from the traditional format. There is an all-money ball rack — with each money ball counting for two points — that players can place in any of the five positions and there are two Starry Balls that are six feet beyond the 3-point line. 

These Starry Balls are placed on either side of the key and are worth three points each. The maximum number of points in a round now is 40. With the two additional balls from downtown, the time limit has increased from 60 to 70 seconds.

The 3-Point contest is two rounds, with the top three scorers in the first round advancing to the final round. The top scorer in the final round will be crowned the 3-Point Champion.

NBA 3-Point Contest History

As stated above, Damian Lillard is going for a three-peat in this competition. He’ll be looking to become the first three-peat winner since Craig Hodges, who won from 1990-1992, and only the third player all-time to do it if he wins, with Larry Bird being the other one (1986-1988).

Buddy Hield is another former winner of the 3-Point Contest, winning during the 2020 season. Hield will be one of the primary threats to Lillard, having competed and won before. Jalen Brunson and Tyler Herro are two other 3-Point Contest returnees and looking to better their performances from their previous encounters, both going out in the first round.

Four first-timers make their way to this competition and three of them are the elite perimeter shooters of the competition. 

Darius Garland is top-10 in the league in 3-point percentage (43.1%). Norman Powell is not too far behind Garland (42.8%), while Cam Johnson is also shooting above 40 percent. 

Cade Cunningham is shooting the lowest percentage of the competitors at 35.1%, but is still averaging 2.2 3-pointers made per game.

2025 NBA 3-Point Contest Picks, Predictions for PrizePicks

Find the top 2025 NBA 3-Point Contest picks and predictions for PrizePicks, including Round 1 Points (RD1 Points on PrizePicks) and Money Balls Made.

Nets F Cameron Johnson 

Johnson is one of three non-All-Stars competing in this game and is the only Brooklyn Net to represent the team this weekend. Johnson is one of the best shooters in the league and has been lethal from three in general, but specifically “above the break” (or anywhere but the corners). Johnson has a much higher volume of 3-pointers above the break compared to the corners.

With three racks and both Starry Balls above the break, this means Johnson will get more opportunities to rack up points on the parts of the floor where he takes his highest volume in games. 

3-Point Contest Pick: 22.5 Round 1 Points

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Warriors G Buddy Hield

While Hield has struggled from three this year (shooting his lowest percentage ever at the moment), the 3-Point Contest will be an opportunity for him to shoot without the game pressure as he returns back to the 3-Point Contest. 

Hield has competed with the Starry Ball format before, and won using that format back in 2020. Having competed in this format will be advantageous due to knowing how to use the clock wisely. 

When Hield won in 2020, he placed his money ball rack in the corner after originally having it at the top of the 3-point line in the previous finals. With Hield likely going to go that route again this year, he’ll have an opportunity to rack up tons of points late even if he falls behind early.

3-Point Contest Pick: 23.5 Round 1 Points

Knicks G Jalen Brunson

Last time out, Brunson finished sixth in the 3-Point Contest with 24 points and missed out on the finals after a disastrous last rack. He placed his money ball rack in the final corner and missed his last three shots, sealing his fate.

Brunson has had his best 3-point shooting seasons in a Knicks uniform, hovering around or above the 40 percent mark in all three seasons in New York. 

Brunson is elite both above the break and from the right corner, shooting over 52 percent from the right corner and close to 40 percent above the break. More than 80 percent of the competition is from those aforementioned spots. That bodes well for his performance in the 3-Point Contest tonight.

3-Point Contest Pick: 23 Round 1 Points

Pistons G Cade Cunningham

First-time All-Star Cunningham enters this competition with the lowest 3-point percentage of all the competitors in the contest. Cunningham is shooting 35 percent from three this year and is a career 33% 3-point shooter.

When looking at his 3-point breakdown by zone, Cunningham is best from the right corner, but takes a very low percentage of threes from there, at 0.1 per game on the season. 

Everywhere else, he’s around the 35-36 percent mark which is just not the formula to succeed in this competition. 

3-Point Contest Pick: 21.5 Round 1 Points

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Win Real Money on the NBA 3-Point Contest on PrizePicks

The 3-Point Contest is one of the premier events of 2025 All-Star Weekend, and the place you can win real money on is on PrizePicks.

Just pick more or less on player projections — like round points or money balls made — and lock in your Lineup to get in on the action. If your picks are correct, you’ll get paid out.

Come back to the Playbook throughout the All-Star Weekend and the NBA season for more NBA analysis for your PrizePicks Lineups.