Kyle Korver Is Having A Slam Dunk Year

Kyle Korver got out ahead of the break, took a pass from Al Horford and saw a clear path to the basket. It was time to show his teammates that he really can dunk.

With Korver providing the highlight of the night with his first slam in more than two years, the Atlanta Hawks cruised past the Indiana Pacers 110-91 on Wednesday night, tying the franchise record with their 14th straight victory, reports USA Today.

“It’s been a while,” Korver said, looking over at teammate Dennis Schroder with a big smile. “Dennis didn’t think I could dunk. He asked me if that was my first one ever.”

Actually, it was the 16th in a 12-year NBA career, according to STATS, but Korver’s first since November 16, 2012, at Sacramento — a span of 198 games.

“I didn’t even know it was him,” Horford said. “Once he got it, I didn’t think he would dunk it. He caught me by surprise.”

The dunk is just the latest highlight in the career of Korver which will include a third trip to the NBA 3-point shootout according to CBS Sports.

Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution says Korver will compete in the contest at All-Star Weekend when All-Star Saturday Night hits the Barclays Center. Korver has been in two NBA 3-point Shootouts in his career, and amazingly hasn’t won either of them. The last time he was in the contest was a decade ago in Denver, but that’s not going to stop him from trying to become the reigning best 3-point shooter in the NBA.

CBS Sports reports his first 3-point contest came in Los Angeles in 2004 when Voshon Lenard took home the title. Korver got a score of 19 — hitting nine in a row at one point — in the first round to move on to the final round against Lenard and Peja Stojakovic. Korver had a 15 in the final round, behind Stojakovic’s 16 and Lenard’s winning 18.

The next year, Korver went to Denver and competed in the contest again. He had a weak first round with a score of 14, but it was enough to get him into the final round. This time he finished with 18, which was more than Lenard’s 16. But Quentin Richardson beat him with a score of 19 to take home the title.

Korver is shooting a historic 53.5 percent from the 3-point line this season and has the most makes with 130.

Korver, for his part, remains remarkably humble.

“We don’t necessarily have that superstar guy,” Korver said. “When you feel like you have an opportunity every single time down the court to be a part of what’s happening, you just naturally play a little bit harder.”