LaVine will get his shot in 3-point contest
The numbers say a three-point contest might be difficult for Bulls guard Zach LaVine to win.
A poker-face competition? He showed in the last month that he’d love something like that.
A league source confirmed Monday that LaVine will participate in the three-point contest Feb. 15 during NBA All-Star Weekend, just four days after he felt he was snubbed from making the All-Star Game as a reserve.
“I’ll want to do something,’’ LaVine said Friday when asked what was left on the table for him, especially with the festivities in Chicago. “We’ll figure out what I’m going to do in the next couple days.’’
All along, however, the two-time dunk champion seemed to be pushing back on the idea of going for a third title in that competition, preferring to show some versatility.
LaVine entered the week shooting 37.6 percent from three-point range, ranking him 67th in the league, but he’s also 11th in attempts with 7.9 per game.
“I think I’ve shown everything I can dunking,’’ LaVine said last week.
He held his ground that the league would invite him, and it finally did, but becoming the NBA’s latest longrange marksman might not be as easy as LaVine thinks. Other players who reportedly have thrown their name in the hat include the Heat’s Duncan Robinson, the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, the Hawks’ Trae Young and the Kings’ Buddy Hield.
The league was hoping LaVine would jump into the dunk contest, especially when the Magic’s Aaron Gordon accepted an invitation. LaVine and Gordon had one of the premier showdowns in the history of the contest in 2016, won by LaVine.