James Jones, the defending champion, had a smoking first round performance in the 2012 Three-Point Contest on NBA All-Star Saturday, racking up 22 points and hitting his final seven shots. Kevin Durant, coming off of a brutal 2011 performance in the shootout, finished the first round with 20. Kevin Love and Mario Chalmers tied for third, and Love edged Chalmers by one make in the tiebreaker to advance to the finals.
Ryan Anderson finished fifth with a disappointing first-round run, and the Nets' Anthony Morrow -- rocking a vintage Drazen Petrovic jersey -- brought up the rear as his picture-perfect stroke was too slow to get through all 25 shots in the 60 seconds allotted.
Jones will attempt to win back-to-back titles, but Durant looks like a legit challenge at this point.
The dunk contest will follow the shootout. For all your 2012 Slam Dunk Contest needs, be sure to visit this StoryStream.