Duke basketball star forward gets pummeled in final round of shootout

Duke basketball standout Jayson Tatum was rolling until the final round of the 3-Point Shootout. 

The first Duke basketball player to take the floor in the NBA All-Star Weekend was Jayson Tatum in the 3-Point Shootout, and the Blue Devil was the first to get the event started with the score to beat.

Tatum poured in 25 points, which held his own among shooters such as Steph Curry and Mike Conley, who both advanced with the Boston Celtics star to the final round. Zach Lavine, Donovan Mitchell, and Tatum’s teammate Jaylen Brown were eliminated in the first round.

The Blue Devil was then the first to shoot in the final round, and it wasn’t the best performance for Jayson Tatum, finishing with just 17 points.

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Mike Conley followed Tatum’s outing with 27 points but was outshined by Curry, who needed to hit the final money ball to win the event. And the best shooter of all time did exactly that, ending his last round with 28 points for his second 3-Point Shootout Championship.

Jayson Tatum entered the event with a 36.8-shooting percentage from beyond the arc this season.

This was the first-ever appearance from the former Blue Devil in the 3-Point Shootout.

Duke basketball products struggled in All-Star events

Following Tatum’s struggle in the 3-Point Shootout, at halftime of the NBA All-Star Game, former Blue Devil Cassius Stanley took centerstage for the Slam Dunk Contest.

Stanley seemed to get things started perfectly, but the panel of judges didn’t think so after his between-the-legs dunk was only scored a 44.

ALSO READ: Duke standout gets wronged by panel of judges

Following his second attempt, Stanley was well behind his two competitors in New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin and Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons.

Simons won the event for the first time ever over Toppin.

The NBA begins its second half of the season on Wednesday, March 10 with the majority of teams taking the floor on Thursday, March 11.