Italian ace tops the West before beating Beal in tiebreaker.
San Antonio Spurs star Marco Belinelli secured the three-point shooting contest at NBA All-Star Saturday night after defeating Bradley Beal in the final.
Belinelli made his final three shots to finish with 19 points to edge out Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry and Kevin Love to finish top of the standings in the Western Conference and advance to the final.
Meanwhile, Beal had 21 points to win the East bracket as defending champion Kyrie Irving, Arron Afflalo and Joe Johnson all saw their hopes dashed at the first hurdle.
However, drama then ensued as Beal tied with Belinelli to force a tiebreaker, with the latter then making six straight shots at one point to sweep his fourth rack.
“I was a little bit nervous at the beginning and I think that I shot like two airballs,” Belinelli said, as reported by ESPN.
“But in the end I was focused. I really cared about this trophy.”
The East and West tied 2-2 in the All-Star Saturday schedule and as a result the conference split $500,000 in winnings for charity.
Watch the video below to see Belinelli in action:
COMMENTS