Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images

By Joel Reyes

The 3-point race between Kon Knueppel and LaMelo Ball went down to the wire, with the rookie coming out on top after the Charlotte Hornets' final regular-season game against the New York Knicks on Monday (PH time) at Madison Square Garden.

Knueppel finished with 273 3-pointers in his first season in the NBA after going 3-for-10 from beyond the arc against the Knicks. That was good enough to beat Ball, who ended up with 272 3-pointers after shooting 5-for-16 from deep in the Hornets' 110-96 road win. 

Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images

Knueppel and Ball made history together after the victory as they became the first duo with 270+ threes each in a regular season since Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson achieved that feat with the Golden State Warriors (2015-16 and 2022-23 seasons).

Knueppel entered the record books after finishing ahead of Ball, becoming the first rookie in history to lead the NBA in 3-pointers made.

They will look to continue their hot shooting in the postseason. The ninth-seeded Hornets will host the No. 10 seed Miami Heat in the play-in tournament, with the winner of that contest set to face the loser of the Philadelphia vs. Orlando matchup for a spot in the playoffs.