Boardroom breaks down the tale of the tape and the latest odds ahead of the Steph vs. Sabrina shooting showdown at NBA All-Star Weekend.
All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis is upon us, and it’s one of the most exciting weekends of the NBA season. But for some fans watching outside of the 463, it might not feel that way.
NBA All-Star Weekend and the accompanying competitions that come with it — the Slam Dunk Contest, the Skills Competition, and the 3-Point Contest — have seemingly taken a hit in popularity over the last half-decade or so. The Slam Dunk Contest would garner names the casual fan may not know, the 3-Point Contest got boring, and the All-Star Game itself got hard to watch for those who enjoy a competitive basketball environment.
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Over the years, the NBA has attempted to remedy the situation in numerous ways, such as adding props to the Dunk Contest, changing up the format of the All-Star Game, adding the Starry range ball to the 3-Point Contest, and more.
This year in Indy, the NBA is teaming up with its counterpart in the WNBA to try and level-up the 3-Point Contest to new heights. What better way to do that than pitting possibly the greatest shooter of all time against the player who boasts the record for the highest single-round score in the event’s history?
That’s right, Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu will square off this weekend in a special 1-on-1 iteration of the 3-Point Contest for shooting supremacy. This has been a long time coming, with the two playfully exchanging social media jabs that hinted at a potential competition.
The two have an admiration for each other and their respective games, but don’t get it twisted — this is going to be a battle on Saturday night in Indianapolis.
“However this plays out, it’s what sports is about, right?” Curry said at a press conference leading up to the event. “Competing, whatever the format is. She’s the champ, so I’m the contender. Let’s lay it out on the line.”
Tale of the Tape: Steph vs. Sabrina
Speaking of formats, here’s how it will go down after the NBA 3-Point Contest inside Lucas Oil Stadium. The rules will follow those of a standard NBA 3-point competition, containing five racks of balls placed around the 3-point line. Four of the racks will boast four regular basketballs worth one point and one “money ball” worth two points. One rack will be only money balls.
Despite the event initially saying Ionescu would shoot from the WNBA line while Curry shoots from the NBA line, both players will be shooting from NBA 3-point range, something Ionescu was very adamant about.
Ionescu routinely knocks down from this range, and after scoring 37 of a possible 40 points in the final round of the WNBA 3-Point Contest last season, she’s proven she can thrive in this type of environment. As has Steph, a two-time 3-Point Contest champion on the NBA side.
With both being capable of knocking down shot after shot, this matchup might come down to whoever can hit their shots from Starry range. Each player will have two opportunities to knock it down from the extra-long distance, with each shot being worth three points.
Steph vs. Sabrina FanDuel Odds
All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of Friday afternoon.
Odds to Win:
Stephen Curry | -215
Sabrina Ionescu | +164
To Make Both Shots from Starry Range:
- Steph: +280
- Sabrina: +450
Curry to Make 4+ Shots in a Row: -2000
Curry to Make 6+ Shots in a Row: -230
Curry to Make 8+ Shots in a Row: +145
Curry to Make 10+ Shots in a Row: +420
Ionescu to Make 4+ Shots in a Row: -2000
Ionescu to Make 6+ Shots in a Row: -210
Ionescu to Make 8+ Shots in a Row: +160
Ionescu to Make 10+ Shots in a Row: +500
