NBA ALL-STAR 3-POINT CONTEST

February 17, 2024

Karl-Anthony Towns

Press Conference

Q. What are you feeling? How do you feel?

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS: That hurt. That hurt. I thought I shot well. I shot well all day. Got to the last one. I don't even know what happened. I'm not even looking at it. I feel like the science was there. You make all the money balls, and then the middle ones, I don't know what happened. I don't know if I made 2 for 5 or 3 for 5, I don't know what. But he made the Starry ball.

I felt good. I felt good about it. The last one, the last money ball I missed, I thought just to clinch it, just to make sure he doesn't even have a chance.

But it is what it is. I thought I showed myself well today. I shot really well. I think that people will respect it, I respect it.

It hurt. You want to win. You want to win. I wanted to bring two home to Minnesota.

Q. The court, was that distracting at all the way it was lighting up?

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS: It was different. I didn't really see it too much. I just was shooting. Of course, if I made some balls, it would have been even better.

Q. You had the whole Dominican Republic rooting for you.

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS: I appreciate it.

Q. So you didn't lose. We did. Can you give a message to them?

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS: I for sure went out and lost.

Q. We did, man.

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS: I appreciate the love and support. I really wanted to win and bring this home, but I came up a little short today. It felt good. I hope I made all the Dominicans proud and stuff, and I hope that's some inspiration for them.

I should have shot that lefty, huh?

Q. Karl, I think you said earlier in the day that you already won one, so you're just kind of playing with house money, but when you got into the final round, was it go time?

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS: Yeah, I asked to go first. I wanted to go first just like last time. I wanted to set the standard.

Like I said, I've got to watch it. I've only seen really the last round of my last one. I don't know, but I felt like I shot well. It looked good. I had a lot of in and outs. It was weird.

I have bad voodoo in this building. Final Four, the only college game I ever lost was here. Just got to figure out how to play basketball here.

Q. Karl, when you're watching Dame just the last couple, was there a pit in your stomach as he came around the bend there? How did you see it?

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS: I was hurt. I was hurt. I already knew -- you know, you wish you could get some shots back. I just felt like I shot well. It just didn't happen.