NEW ORLEANS _ Klay Thompson went eighth among the eight shooters on Saturday night in New Orleans, the enviable closing spot reserved for the defending champ.
He walked out knowing he'd need at least 19 points to advance to the finals. He started hot. But Thompson couldn't keep it going, missing a pair of money balls on the final rack and finishing with 18, a point short, leading to first round elimination.
Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon won the contest, beating Kemba Walker and Kyrie Irving in the final round. He is the first non-Warrior to win it since 2014. Stephen Curry won it in 2015 and then lost his crown to Thompson in 2016.
Curry stepped down this season, opting for a weekend of rest instead of competing in the contest for a sixth straight season. That left Thompson as the lone Warrior to keep the streak going.
Nearly everyone asked before the event predicted that Thompson would win. The crowd buzzed when he was announced in introductions, the loudest response among the eight competitors.
Thompson nailed four of his five shots on the first rack, including the money ball, and looked on his way to another scorching performance. But Thompson couldn't keep that rhythm, bricking too many during the middle racks and then missing a couple money balls on the final rack that, if he had made one, would've sent him to the Finals.
