Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu 3-Point Challenge Odds, Rules, Picks, and Predictions

Two of basketball’s brightest stars collide in Indianapolis as Stephen Curry takes on Sabrina Ionescu in a special 3-Point Challenge on Saturday night during the NBA All-Star Game festivities. Our NBA betting picks believe Curry is a deserving favorite.

Feb 16, 2024 • 11:48 ET • 4 min read

With so many big names in town, we’re going to see fireworks at the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis over the next few days — and the Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu 3-Point Challenge has the potential to be the standout show.

The NBA’s best gunslinger goes head-to-head against the WNBA’s top sharpshooter for 3-point bragging rights, as Curry and Ionescu put their friendship aside to duke it out in this first-time event.

Ionescu’s can’t-miss performance last July in the WNBA 3-point contest was the spark for this showdown. That night, she finished with a stunning 37-point round (out of a maximum 40) in a deadly shooting display that soon went viral and prompted Curry to send out the challenge.

Steph is no stranger to All-Star Saturday. He’s won the NBA 3-point contest twice, most recently in 2021, and tops the league leaderboard for career triples. Curry is sitting out the regular Starry 3-Point Contest this year, and the 3-Point Challenge will take place just before the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest.

Read on for the challenge rules and my NBA picks to shine brightest in the NBA odds in Indy on Saturday, February 17. For more NBA All-Star Weekend analysis, check out Rory Breasail’s 3-Point Contest picks.

Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu 3-Point Challenge Odds

Odds as of February 16, 2024.

Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu 3-Point Challenge Rules

If you’ve ever watched the regular NBA or WNBA 3-point contest, this will all look very familiar. But it’s still worth a quick refresher on the rules:

·        Steph and Sabrina will each have 70 seconds to shoot 27 balls from five locations around the arc.

·        Four of the five racks contain four regular game balls and one multi-colored “moneyball.”

·        The fifth rack contains five multi-colored moneyballs, and Steph and Sabrina can choose the location in advance.

·        Regular game balls are worth one point and moneyballs are worth two points.

·        There are two additional “Starry Range” spots. These balls are worth three points each.

The only question that remains up in the air is whether Sabrina will shoot from the WNBA 3-point line or the NBA equivalent. In the corner spots, the difference is less than a foot, but it becomes a bigger factor at the top of the arc.

Every indication from Ionescu this week is that she will join Stephen Curry in using the NBA line, while shooting with regulation WNBA basketballs.

“I shoot from that range to begin with,” she explained this week. “Knowing that I had the opportunity to pick what line I wanted to shoot from, it was a no-brainer from when it was first presented that I wanted to shoot from the NBA line and continue to just prove that we’re capable and we’re willing.”

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Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu 3-Point Challenge Pick

Curry enters as the clear favorite on Saturday night, but the odds have tightened after opening with Ionescu as a huge underdog. You can still find odds for Sabrina north of +170, while Steph is about a -230 favorite.

Though Ionescu’s performance at the WNBA All-Star Weekend was a thing of beauty, I’m sticking with Steph to get the job done here. He’s in the midst of another stellar season, knocking down triples at a 42% clip and keeping the Golden State Warriors in the playoff race. I see that carrying over to an impressive score this weekend.

Ionescu should have fresher legs, having wrapped up the WNBA season in October and getting the benefit of four months to recover, but Curry has recent game reps in his favor.

It also helps that Steph had a monster night in Indiana earlier this month. He wowed Gainbridge Fieldhouse, making 11 of his 16 3-pointers on the way to 42 points against the Pacers on February 8.

It’s set to be a great spectacle, with the added benefit of donations to the players’ foundations, and perhaps the start of a regular All-Star Weekend event. When the dust settles, I expect Curry to have another honor on his shooting resume.

There are plenty of other fun props for this event too, and I like the Over on 45.5 combined points for the pair, as well as big plus odds for Steph to make both of his shots from Starry range and -125 odds for Sabrina to have six or more buckets in a row at any stage.

My best bet: Curry to win (-250 at bet365)

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