A passel of points: East All-Stars outscore West
They combine for 397, the annual game’s most ever
INDIANAPOLIS — The NBA wanted more competition. It got more points instead — more than ever before.
And once again, the All-Star Game was all offense.
The Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference 211-186 on Sunday night, 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 3-pointers 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.
All-Star MVP Damian Lillard scored 39 points for the East, while Jaylen Brown had 36 and Tyrese Haliburton from the hometown Indiana Pacers finished with 32.
Perhaps unnoticed: Karl-Anthony Towns scored 50 points for the West in just 28 minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 for the West.
The highlights were from everywhere. Lillard pulled up from halfcourt in the third quarter — swish. Luka Doncic tried a shot from about 70 feet late in the first half; it hit near the top of the backboard. Towns even threw an alley-oop to Stephen Curry; the Warriors star is much more of a shooter than a dunker, so he simply laid it in instead.
Defense was optional, sometimes accidental.
Haliburton had five 3-pointers in a 1:32 span in the first quarter, helping the East take a 53-47 lead after the opening 12 minutes.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and other league executives were seeking a more competitive All-Star Game after last season’s 184-175 matchup was widely panned — and television ratings plummeted.
Even Hall of Famer Larry Bird, honored Sunday at the NBA Legends Brunch, said he was hoping the message from the league resonated and players took the AllStar Game a little more seriously.
“I know what this league’s all about and I’m very proud of it,” Bird said. “I’m proud of today’s players. I like the game they play. ... I think it’s very important when you have the best players in the world together, you’ve got to compete and you’ve got to play hard and you’ve got to show the fans how good they really are.”
It had a big-game, Finals-type atmosphere — but obviously, nothing near a playoff feel. Donovan Mitchell threw a 50-foot inbounds pass underhand, Bam Adebayo inbounded a ball off Nikola Jokic’s backside before dribbling downcourt and making a 3, and Devin Booker went through pregame with a hat on backwards.
A DOUBLE FOR DAME: Damian Lillard added a new title in his first All-Star Game appearance with the Eastern Conference — MVP.
The Milwaukee Bucks guard finished with 39 points, 11 3-pointers, six assists, three rebounds and one steal in a record-breaking 211-186 win over the West.
Lillard was 14 of 26 from the field and 11 of 23 on 3s for a team that broke All-Star Game marks for total points and 3s with 42. Eight players scored in double figures with three — Lillard, Boston guard Jaylen Brown and Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton all topping 30 points. Karl Anthony-Towns of Minnesota also had 50 points for the West.
The honor comes one day after Lillard won his second straight 3-point contest. He won last year’s honor while playing for the Portland Trail Blazers.
LEBRON SAYS: LeBron James still wants to participate in the Paris Olympics this summer, sure sounds like extending his NBA career for at least a couple more seasons is an option and said he would like to see his playing days end as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Of course, not even he knows if any or all of that is possible.
James played in his 20th AllStar Game on Sunday, extending his record for appearances in the NBA’s midseason showcase, but arrived with a plan to not be on the court in Indianapolis for very long because of an ongoing treatment plan for his problematic left ankle.
He had eight points in 14 minutes during the first half and didn’t start the second half, giving up his spot to Golden State’s Stephen Curry.
“The most important thing for me is definitely my health,” James said.