Published 11:24 IST, February 16th 2020
Derrick Jones Jr. wins Slam Dunk contest in a 'dunk off'
Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. celebrated his 23rd birthday by winning the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, edging Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon in a memorable showdown that required two tiebreaker jams.
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Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. celebrated his 23rd birthday by winning the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, edging Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon in a memorable showdown that required two tiebreaker jams.
Jones and Gordon each got a perfect 50 on both of their dunks in the final. Then they got two more perfect scores on their first jam in the dunk-off.
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Jones then took off from just inside the foul line and threw down a windmill jam with his left hand, drawing a 48 from the panel of five judges.
After a short discussion with Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, Gordon brought out 7-foot-5 Boston Celtics rookie Tacko Fall and positioned him near the basket. He then took the ball from Fall's hands on his way to a thunderous dunk.
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The United Center gasped as the courtside NBA stars celebrated. But Gordon was awarded a 47, giving the victory to Jones.
Gordon also lost a memorable dunk contest to Zach LaVine in 2016.
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Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield made a late surge to win the NBA 3-Point Contest.
Hield nailed a two-point money ball from the corner to finish with 27 points, edging Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker by one in the final round.
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Hield is one of the few bright spots for struggling Sacramento, averaging 20.4 points while shooting about 39 percent from 3-point range.
Miami's Bam Adebayo has won the All-Star skills challenge.
Adebayo narrowly defeated Indiana's Domantas Sabonis in the final in a matchup of All-Star big men. He shared a hug with former Heat star Dwyane Wade after accepting the trophy.
11:24 IST, February 16th 2020