At Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday Night, Phoenix Suns PG Isaiah Thomas ‘in it to win it’

PHOENIX — There is only one acceptable outcome.

For Phoenix Suns point guard Isaiah Thomas, if he is going to make the 4,000-plus mile round-trip, then he might has well make the most of his time in New York. And that means winning the Taco Bell Skills Challenge he is competing in as part of All-Star Saturday Night at the Barclays Center.

“I feel like I’m going very far away (so) I got to win it. I’m excited for it,” he said this week. “I want to go down there and represent the Phoenix Suns well and come home the trophy. I mean, that’s what it’s all about it at the end of the day.

“It’s a blessing from God to be even mentioned and take part in All-Star events, so I’m excited.”

Before he left, Thomas said he planned to practice for the event — which tests dribbling, passing, agility and shooting skills through an obstacle course — with the help of player development assistant Irving Roland.

“I think if you practice, you’ll be ready for whatever they throw at you,” said Thomas, who added he’s watched past competitions on YouTube. “If you go cold turkey, you’re not giving yourself a chance to win. Like I said, I’m in it to win it. I want to go out there and get the trophy and bring it back to Phoenix.”

Thomas is the fourth Suns player to compete in the Skills Challenge, joining Stephon Marbury (2003), Steve Nash (2005, 2006, 2010) and Goran Dragic (2014). Nash won the event twice, taking the title in 2005 and 2010.

The NBA added a new wrinkle to the Skills Challenge this year.

Thomas and seven other players will go head-to-head in a bracket-style tournament format for the first time. Two players will compete simultaneously on an identical course, with the fastest finisher reaching the next round.

Thomas will face Houston’s Patrick Beverley — replacing injured John Wall of Washington — in the first round, with the winner matching up against the winner of Orlando’s Elfrid Payton and Atlanta’s Jeff Teague in the second round. Also competing in the event will be Utah’s Trey Burke, Milwaukee’s Brandon Knight, Toronto’s Kyle Lowry and Atlanta’s Dennis Schroder.

“I’m glad it’s head-to-head rather than what they did last year. I’m trying to prepare myself,” Thomas said. “But at the end of the day, I’m going there to win. I’m not going to have my cool jacket on. I’m going to be out there stretching, sweating and doing it all.”

This will be Thomas’ second time participating in an event at All-Star Weekend. He played in the 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge in Houston, scoring 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting plus a game-high-tying 10 assists.

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