JWSport Jacek Waszak – Sport journalist
50 POINTS AND SEVEN THREES Stephen Curry received the statuette for MVP of the competition named after Kobe Bryant. He eventually scored 50 points and 5 rebounds (17/30 from the game; 16/27 for three).
In the history of these games, only Anthony Davis 52 points scored more than him, and he scored them in 2017 .
This is the 71st NBA All-Star Game behind us, and this is the fifth time that the traditional confrontation of the East and West teams has been replaced by a meeting in which the players for each team, without territorial restrictions, were selected by their captains, i.e. the basketball players who received the most indications in the fans’ vote.
However, the best form of the matches was when East and West teams played each other, and not the Players are captains form should return or North versus South etc. ….
The All-Star Game ended this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland. Team LeBron beat Team Durant 163:160, and Stephen Curry hit 50 points in this game Golden State Warriors broke the record of threes hit in one All-Star and we also had the opportunity to see the spectacular dunk.
For the third time in a row, the winner of the game was determined differently than in the traditional meeting. Each of the first three quarters was a separate “match”, with the winner donating money to a chosen charity. Before the fourth quarter, the results from the three quarters were added up and the meeting continued without a time limit. To win the game the leading team had to score 24 points.
From the beginning of the first quarter the court was dominated by impressive dunks and three-pointers made from every position. Stephen Curry’s three was answered by Trae Young, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Jayson Tatum were dunking, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokić were also trying their luck from behind the arc. Ja Morant also made his presence felt. Fantastic dunk in combination with LeBron’s offensive deficiencies helped Team Durant to cut the deficit to just two points (20:18).
During one of the call breaks in the second quarter, Chris Paul was presented with the “Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award” for his support and contribution to women’s basketball overseas.
At halftime of the game, the pantheon of the top 75 players in NBA history was also officially introduced. It should be mentioned that there was a gathering of some of the most important legends 75 NBA legends flew into Cleveland. Not arriving were Bill Russell deciding it was safe for him to stay home in times of pandemic, Kevin Durant had a family bereavement and Scottie Pippen did not arrive .
The third quarter was much better played by Team Durant, but the pace was not slowed down by Stephen Curry, who despite his first quarter record continued his display from beyond the arc. Just three minutes into the game, he equaled and then surpassed the record for the number of threes in an entire All-Star Game, previously held by Paul George (9). Golden State Warriors playmaker was hitting threes from every position and after a while he already had 13 such hits. Erik Spoelstra could not react other than a timeout.
Nothing could stop Curry, who was on a great way to break the record of points scored in one All-Star Game, set in 2017 by Anthony Davis (52). On his return to the game, the 33-year-old added consecutive threes that punctuated a series of spectacular dunks. Despite his display, the score was still tied (134:134). On the other side Embiid was scoring regularly, Dejounte Murray and Devin Booker also contributed. Eventually this part of game ended with 45:45 tie.
Fourth quarter was an interesting start for Stephen Curry’s team, who often had no room to shoot from a clean position. This allowed Team Durant to get closer with the score (149:147). The closer the game got, the more fierce it became. The teams traded blows, which led to another tie, this time at 155:155, but Morant’s dunk was also exciting. The most important shot of the game belonged to LeBron James. He got the ball at the 161:160 mark, when Durant’s team was two points away from victory. LeBron James added those two points with a good shot over Zach Lavin and the score was 163:160.
NBA: Lebron Team – Durant Team 1(47:45) , 2(46:49), 3(45-45) , 4(25-21) 163 : 160
The day before, the traditional contests preceding the All-Star Game were held. Obi Toppin showed off the most impressive dunks, Karl-Anthony Towns threw the most accurate three-pointers, and Team Cavs triumphed in the agility competition. Next year’s All-Star Game will be hosted by Salt Lake City.
NBA: Sensational winner of Karl-Anthony Towns’ 3-point shooting contest
The first round was dictated by Luke Kennard, who left no illusions to his opponents and confidently advanced to the final round. Clippers player scored 28 points, while Trae Young and Karl-Anthony Towns “only” 22 points.
The mentioned three thus advanced to the final round. Then the temperature rose even higher. Towns finished the decisive round with 29 points, with 26 by Kennard and 28 by Young.
Karl-Anthony Towns became the first backcourt player to win this competition since Kevin Love (2012) and the second tallest player to succeed in this feat (after Dirk Nowitzki in 2006).
By winning tonight’s contest, Towns also became only the second player in history to win two different contests during the ASG. Recall that he emerged as the winner of the Skills Challenge in 2016. In doing so, he joined Stephen Curry (2011 – Skills Challenge; 2015, 2021 – 3-point shooting contest).
Round 1.
Luke Kennard (Clippers): 28
Trae Young (Hawks): 22
Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves): 22
Patty Mills (Nets): 21
C.J. McCollum (Pelicans): 19
Desmond Bane (Grizzlies): 18
Fred VanVleet (Raptors): 16
Zach LaVine (Bulls): 14
Final
Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves): 29
Trae Young (Hawks): 28
Luke Kennard (Clippers): 26
NBA All-Star Weekend: SLUM DUNK Obi Toppin the new dunk champion!
However, the most dangerous opponent for Toppin from the start was Juan Toscano-Anderson. The Warriors player took advantage of his teammate Andrew Wiggins in the first round and boxed over him with a ball previously signed by Dr J. JTA received 44 points for this dunk.
Toppin and Toscano-Anderson met in the final round. The winner was the Knicks representative, who scored 47 points thanks to putting the ball over his leg and bouncing it against the backboard. The Warriors player, however, failed to put the ball in the basket in three of his attempts. Interestingly, he wore the jersey of Jason Richardson former winner of the contest in the Warriors’ colours.
