NBA 3-Point Contest: “Tatum is horrendously bad bet”

The NBA 3-Point Contest is this Saturday and the field looks rather stacked. Celtics wing Jayson Tatum will participate in his second career 3-point contest—he finished third to champion Steph Curry in 2021. 

On Thursday’s Toucher & Rich radio program—the Bankroll Boys, Joe Murray and Dan Lifshatz, take a look at the odds for each contestant. 

• Odds

  Buddy Hield – Indiana (+460)

  Damian Lillard – Portland (+550)

  Anfernee Simons – Portland (+550)

  Jayson Tatum – Boston (+600)

  Lauri Markkanen – Utah (+600)

  Kevin Huerter – Sacramento (+650)

  Tyler Herro – Miami (+700)

  Tyrese Haliburton – Indiana (+750)

  (Odds courtesty of FanDuel)

• Rich:  Let’s start with the three-point contest because that’s something I want to put money on. I can be convinced one way or the next. 

  As of right now, Vegas has Buddy Hield as the favorite. Jayson Tatum comes in at fourth with +600 odds. A lot of Celtics fans are going to want to put money on Tatum. Where is your head at on this, Dan? 

  Lifshatz: Yeah, I think Tatum is a horrendously bad bet— 

  Joe: —the lowest shooting percentage in the contest. 

• 

  Jan 19, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts after his three point basket against the Golden State Warriors in overtime at TD Garden. Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

• Lifshatz: I would say that you should stay far away from betting Tatum. If you’re a Celtics fan and want to—feel to bet it, but in terms of actual betting and trying to win—not a good bet. 

  Buddy Hield is the only guy in this contest with a top-10 three-point shooting percentage. I wouldn’t go for him either, though. 

  Anfernee Simons and Tyler Herro are the guys I would be looking at betting. You can get Simons at 5-to-1 odds or above. That’s pretty good value there. And a Tyler Herro at 7-to-1 or above is the mark I would be looking at betting. 

  Again, Karl-Anthony Towns had some horrendous odds last year. Before that, it was Steph Curry, Joe Harris, Eric Gordon, Klay Thompson, Marco Belinelli. There are times when you know all-stars will win but this is more of a find-the-value type of game. The bigger names are usually the guys with less value, not the most. 

• 

  May 11, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) drives to the basket against the Boston Celtics in the first quarter at TD Garden.

• Rich: So, if you actually want to win money and not just be a Green Teamer then you are saying to put money on Tyler Herro or— 

  Lifshatz: —Anfernee Simons, the other guys. 

  Rich: I’m not putting money on Tyler Herro. I refuse to.

• 2023 NBA THREE-POINT CONTEST PARTICIPANTS:
  
  Buddy Hield - 42.3 3P%
  Lauri Markkanen - 41.2 3P%
  Tyrese Haliburton - 39.8 3P%
  Kevin Huerter - 39.0 3P%
  Anfernee Simons - 38.1 3P%
  Damian Lillard - 37.5 3P%
  Tyler Herro - 36.9 3P%
  Jayson Tatum - 35.3 3P%
  
  Who will win? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/3xLR0KFEuN

  — NBA Buzz (@OfficialNBABuzz) February 14, 2023

• Joe: You mentioned Karl-Anthony Towns. He won it last year. He’s a big man. Where’s the game this year? Salt Lake City. Lauri Markkanen is +600. Ring the bell, baby! 

  I’m going Lauri Markkanen, the hometown kid to win it! But to Lifshatz’s point, generally, a big man doesn’t win this event. 

• 

  CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 26: Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls walks to the baseline during a game against the Toronto Raptors at United Center on October 26, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

• Rich: Why is Tatum have the fourth best odds, though? 

  Lifshatz: He’s fifth, actually, at +650 odds. He’s behind Simons, Lillard Hield. Again, he’s a big name. Lillard and Tatum will probably be the guys who draw the most action. So, books will be rooting against those two guys. 

• Full Segment

• Ryan Beaton is a producer for 985thesportshub.com. You can follow Ryan at @ry_beaton on Twitter.

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