Curry hits 10 in row but falls to Harris in 3-point contest

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nothing that occurred Saturday night was going to change the undeniable: Less than 10 seasons into his pro career, Warriors guard Stephen Curry has cemented his status as the greatest 3-point shooter in NBA history.

That didn’t make him any less disappointed, however, when he narrowly fell to Brooklyn forward Joe Harris in the NBA 3-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend. After posting 24 points, two shy of Harris, in the final round to finish second, Curry was left pondering what-ifs.

“I would’ve loved the story book ending: Steph comes home and wins in his native Charlotte,” said Curry, who has finished second in both of the contests he has competed in since hoisting the trophy in 2015.

In the first round, Curry was at his video game best, draining his final 10 shots — six money balls — to snag the lead with 27 points. Joining him in the final round were Sacramento guard Buddy Hield (26 points in the first round) and Harris (25).

Curry hit his first nine shots in the final before stalling near the halfway point. Had one more money ball gone in, he would’ve tied Harris.

“Steph is the greatest shooter of all time,” said Harris, who ranks second this season with a 3-point percentage of 47.1. “For me to come in my first time and to win, it’s a surreal experience.”

Before taking the floor, Curry made a bet with his brother, Portland guard Seth Curry, who made his 3-pointcontest debut: The loser would have to pay for game tickets for the entire family the rest of their careers whenever they faced each other.

Their father, longtime NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, who didn’t make it out of the first round both times he participated in the contest, told TNT before the first racks were rolled out that he was rooting for Seth because Stephen has already won one. To help raise money for charity, he joined fellow 3-point legends Mark Price, Ray Allen and Glen Rice in their own round.

Seventeen years removed from his last NBA game, Dell sank his first shot, only to struggle the rest of the way. Seth, whose 46.5-percent clip from beyond the arc this season is more than two points better than Stephen’s, didn’t do much better than his dad. With 16 points, he was eighth out of 10 competitors and didn’t reach the final round.

Stephen couldn’t recall if he had to win the whole contest for Seth to pay up on the bet. Reporters informed him that Seth had said it would come down to individual points, not the contest winner.

“He dug his own grave right there,” Stephen said with a chuckle.

Stephen, who has competed in six 3-point contests, conceded that he “most likely” won’t participate in it again. By this stage, he has nothing more to prove.

“Shooting off of the rack for a minute is not indicative of being a better shooter than Steph Curry,” Harris said. “I don’t want anybody to get it twisted at all.”

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.