LeBron James hit the winning shot and Stephen Curry was given the Kobe Bryant MVP Award as Team LeBron beat Team Durant in the NBA All-Star game, closing out a busy and historic 71st All-Star weekend.
James, 37, hit a tough contested mid-range jump shot to hit the target score of 163. This was widely celebrated by the crowd who were cheering on their hometown hero.
The rest of the schedule saw the Ruffles Celebrity game, the Clorox Rising Stars game, Taco-Bell Skills challenge, the MTN DEW 3-point contest and the AT&T Slam Dunk contest.
This weekend was also special as the NBA is celebrating its 75th year in existence, with the NBA75 team being presented with their award, as one of the 75 greatest players to play in the league.
All-Star Game
Stephen Curry hit a record-breaking 16 three-point shots on his way to 50 points and the Kobe Bryant MVP award.
The 33-year-old, who is an Ohio native, put on a show with a collection of circus attempts including half-court shots and no-look corner threes.
Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetekoumpo were the only other players to score over 30 points, clocking 36 and 30 respectively.
Team Durant were raising money for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, while Team LeBron were representing the Kent State I Promise Scholars Program.
The game finished 163-160 to Team LeBron.
Saturday’s Action
Shooting big men were the talk of the town on Saturday Evening as Karl-Anthony Towns set a new 3-Point Contest record of 29 on his way to a victory, while Evan Mobley led a young Cavaliers team to victory in the skills challenge, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Obi Toppin won a disappointing dunk contest to round out the night, scoring 47 on his final dunk.
The New York Knicks forward beat Juan Toscano-Anderson, who failed to put the ball in the basket on his final try.
Mobley was joined by Cavs teammates Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland for the skills challenge, which they won thanks to a half-court shot from the rookie big man.
Friday’s Action
Cade Cunningham was the star on Friday evening, claiming the MVP award in the Clorox Rising Stars game.
He led Team Barry to a 25-20 victory in the final over Team Isiah, scoring 18 points across the semi-final and final.
Jack Harlow starred in the celebrity game, with the rapper hitting a deep three, before stealing the ball and completing a fast-break layup.
Now that the All-Star break is over and the trade deadline has passed, the league is now looking towards the play-offs, which begin on 16th April 2022.
(Featured Image – Credit to Bama in ATL under Creative Commons License)
