Kapono Wins The Shootout

Talk about setting the standards high, Kapono went first both rounds and set the standard high for everyone. He even went on to tie the record for most points in the final round with 24, thanks to him making 16 of list 18 shots, now that’s what you call getting into a rhythm.

“Agent Zero” could not withstand the heat of Jason Kapono.

With a pair of blistering rounds, Kapono gunned down Gilbert Arenas and won the Three-Point Shootout at All-Star Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

A forward for the Miami Heat who leads the NBA in 3-point shooting at a scorching 56 percent, Kapono posted the second-best score in the 22-year history of the event, dropping a 24 in the final round to put the pressure on Arenas and defending champion Dirk Nowitzki.

With a sweet, even stroke, Kapono made 19-of-25 shots, including all five “money” balls - the final ball in each of the five racks worth two points each. He came up one point shy of Craig Hodges’ record set in the opening round in 1986. The 7-foot Nowitzki, the defending champion and the tallest winner in the history of the event, came nowhere near matching the pace. The superstar forward of the Dallas Mavericks had an empty third rack and managed just nine points.

Arenas, the All-Star guard of the Washington Wizards known as “Agent Zero,” put up a 23 in the first round. But he also could not rediscover his stroke, struggling with a tough second rack. #