CLEVELAND (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns gave greats everywhere something to aim for. The 7-footer from Minnesota became the first center to win the 3-Point Shootout Contest, defeating seven shooting guards during NBA All-Star Saturday and providing a memorable moment on a night the dunk contest it barely took off. Towns, who has spent his entire career proving doubters wrong about his range, posted a competition-high 29 during the final round to defeat Atlanta’s Trae Young and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Luke Kennard, who they tied for second with 26. each. New York’s Obi Toppin won the four-person dunk contest, going 47-for-50 in the final round by putting the ball in the air between his legs, touching it to the backboard, and redirecting it through the rim. Golden State’s Juan Toscano-Anderson was second when the dunk contest, once a main event that sometimes trumped the All-Star Game, fizzled out. A trio of Cleveland Cavaliers, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, won the Skills Challenge. After his stunning 3-point victory, Towns accepted the trophy from him at half court and immediately turned to Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal sitting courtside at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “I told you, Shaq,” Towns said. “Vegas got the odds wrong.” Towns was considered, well, a long shot among a field of shot creators that included Young, Kennard, New Orleans’ CJ McCollum, Brooklyn’s Patty Mills, Toronto’s Fred VanVleet, Chicago’s Zach LaVine and Memphis’ Desmond Bane. “I wanted to prove that he was the best shooter in the world, and now I got the trophy to prove it,” Towns said. There have been other big men crowned 3-point champions, but Kevin Love (2012) and Dirk Nowitzki (2006) are considered power forwards. “I think this is a good thing to put on that resume,” Towns said. “The big man hasn’t won in 10 years and of course 10 years ago, a decade ago, who won him? The Wolves. He is coming home, where he belongs.” pic.twitter.com/MkvAVPgRCN — CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 20, 2022 The dunk contest started off with some promise and fizzled out quickly. Orlando’s Cole Anthony caused a stir when he traded his sneakers for a pair of Timberland boots and then slipped them on with the help of his father, former NBA guard Greg Anthony. Toppin said all the contestants are big dumpers who wanted to put on a show, and they were all cheering each other on. “When Cole missed those first two with Timbs on, I thought those Timbs are heavy,” Toppin said. “I thought, we have to increase the energy of him. He was trying to get everyone to their feet.” It worked, momentarily. But Anthony failed to complete his second dunk in three attempts and was eliminated along with Houston’s Jalen Green, who also struggled trying to impress a panel of Hall of Fame judges: Julius Erving, Isiah Thomas, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler and Dominique. Wilkins. The local Cavs added another moment to their impressive season by winning the reformatted Skills Challenge, which pitted teams against individual players. Garland, Mobley and Allen teamed up to overcome Team Antetokounmpo, MVP Giannis and his brothers Thanasis and Alex, and a rookie trio of Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Toronto’s Scottie Barnes and Oklahoma City’s Josh Giddey. Mobley, a frontrunner for rookie of the year honors, sealed the victory by making a half-court shot on his first down, allowing the Cavs to close out the contest segment in 5.5 seconds and defeat Team Rooks. The Cavs kicked off the deflection contest when Allen, barely known for his outside touch, made just two shots in 30 seconds. However, Garland brought Cleveland back, and brought life to his crowd, scoring 21 points. However, the Cavs came out of the relief portion tied with Team Antetokounmpo for second place and needed Garland to win a tiebreaker with Thanasis to put Cleveland in the final. After Cunningham made his 47-footer in 9.9 seconds, Mobley calmly moved toward his game-winning shot. “He’s in a class of his own,” Allen said of his 20-year teammate. “Defense, attack and now half court. The whole league already knows Evan. If they’ve ever driven into the paint, they definitely know him, so the NBA should already know him.” (© Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)