Scoring records fall as East rolls
The East reigns supreme.
The Giannis Antetokounmpo-captained team defeated the West 211-186, in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It’s the highest-scoring All-Star Game in history, and the Eastern Conference became the first team to surpass the 200point mark.
Karl-Anthony Towns was the game’s leading scorer with 50 points off the bench in the losing effort. Last season, Jayson Tatum broke the record for points scored in an All-Star Game with 55.
Damian Lillard led the East with 39 points, including two halfcourt shots. He was awarded the Kobe Bryant MVP Award for the effort. It’s his first time winning the award in eight All-Star appearances.
Jaylen Brown added 36 points. Tyrese Haliburton, playing in front of his own Indiana Pacers fans, scored 32 points. He started 5-for-5 with all his shots from beyond the arc.
West captain LeBron James had 8 points in 14 minutes. He had a slam dunk with an assist from Luka Dončić in the first quarter but was limited due to an ankle injury. The Los Angeles Lakers star was playing in his record 20th AllStar Game.
The All-Star Game returned to the East-West format this season after six years of playground style where two captains picked players in a draft. James won all but one of those games.
Earlier in the weekend’s festivities, Mac McClung, a G League player for the Osceola Magic, won the dunk contest for the second straight year and Lillard repeated as the 3-point contest winner. Steph Curry defeated Sabrina Ionescu in the first NBA vs. WNBA 3-point challenge.
NBA All-Star Game highlights
The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference 211-186, with the winners putting up the most points in the game’s 73-year history. The previous mark: 196 by the West in 2016.
It was a flurry of records: The total points of 397 smashed the record of 374 set in 2017, while the East made 42 3pointers to break the mark of 35 set by Team LeBron in 2019.
The sides combined for 193 points in the first half to break the any-half record of 191 set last year, and the East tied an any-half record by scoring 104 by intermission.
Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić play hot potato down the court
If the NBA All-Star Game isn’t fun, then what’s the point?
Despite being down 20-plus points, Luka Dončić and Nikola Jokić found a way to keep the game entertaining. They tossed the ball between themselves for a play in the fourth quarter. It was a game of hot potato as neither one dribbled between passes.
Once they finally got to the basket, the Denver Nuggets center tipped it off to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who hopped up for an easy basket.
Giannis Antetokounmpo shows off dunking abilities as second oldest guy on East team
Captain Giannis Antetokounmpo has made dunk on dunk in the NBA All-Star Game.
In the first quarter, he slapped in a reverse dunk off a lob from Bam Adebayo.
In the next period, he made slams off an assist from Damian Lillard and an ally-oop from Trae Young.
Before the game, the 29-year-old reflected on what it means to play in his eighth All-Star Game.
“It’s crazy I’m the second-oldest guy on my team,” he said on the TNT broadcast before running away.