Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars
LOS ANGELES – In the NBA’s showcase of young talent, it’s been USA vs. the world for the last four years. And Team World has a 3-1 edge over Team USA after the international squad rolled in the Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars game on Friday, shooting 59 percent and winning all four quarters on its way to a 155-124 victory over the Americans.
Team World’s starting lineup included All-Star Joel Embiid, KIA Rookie of the Year candidate Ben Simmons, and 2017 Rising Stars MVP Jamal Murray; and a third-quarter spin move by Embiid was the highlight of the night. But it was the bench that gave Team World separation on multiple occasions Friday.
That bench was led by Sacramento Kings rookie Bogdan Bogdanovic, who scored 26 points (making seven of his 13 3-point attempts) and dished out six assists. Bogdanovic, a 25 year old from Serbia, was named game MVP.
The World took control with a 9-0 run near the end of the first quarter. After the USA closed to within four early in the second, a 16-5 World run proved to be the stretch that decided the game. Team World led by 19 points at the half, by 30 in the third quarter, and by as many as 39 in the fourth. It outscored Team USA 69-33 from beyond the arc.
Bogdanovic’s Sacramento teammate, second-year guard Buddy Hield, added 29 points for Team World, while Simmons added a game-high 13 assists. Indiana Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis shot a perfect 6-for-6 and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Embiid, set to participate in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge on Saturday and the All-Star Game on Sunday, played just eight minutes.
The Celtics’ and Team USA’s Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 35 points on 14-for-21 shooting, highlighted by a pair of through-the-legs dunks in the fourth quarter.
Taco Bell Skills Challenge
Winner: Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets)
Runner-Up: Lauri Markkanen (Bulls)
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LOS ANGELES – In the third year of guards vs. bigs in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, the guards finally won. But it was a big guard that did it.
The Brooklyn Nets’ 6-6 point guard Spencer Dinwiddie defeated the Chicago Bulls’ Lauri Markkanen in the final round to take home the Skills Challenge trophy.
The Skills Challenge is about two things, the chest pass and the top-of-the-key 3-pointer. Connect on the chest pass and you’re out to an early lead, but if you can’t make the three, your opponent can come from behind. Dinwiddie connected on his first chest pass to get out to a big lead on Markkanen. He missed his first 3-point attempt, but still had plenty of time and sunk his second before Markkanen could make it to the line.
In the semifinals, Dinwiddie eliminated the Nuggets’ Jamal Murray, who had an early lead, but missed his first 3-point attempt. Dinwiddie was right behind him and sunk his first three to advance to the final. Markkanen eliminated the Sixers’ Joel Embiid in what was an even matchup until the 3-point shot, which Markkanen made on his first attempt.
In the first round, Dinwiddie came from behind and sunk his first 3-pointer to beat the Kings’ Buddy Hield, who missed his first two attempts. Murray took an early lead by connecting on his first chest pass and didn’t give it up, making his third 3-point attempt before the Clippers’ Lou Williams could attempt his first.
Embiid eliminated the Celtics’ Al Horford, who had an early lead, but missed his first three 3-point attempts, while Markkanen eliminated the Pistons’ Andre Drummond by completing his chest pass first and knocking down his first jumper.
The Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis was unable to defend his 2017 title, having torn his ACL earlier this month.
For a complete list of previous winners please click here.
JBL Three-Point Contest
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Winner: Devin Booker (Suns)
Runner-Up: Klay Thompson (Warriors)
More: NBA All-Star 2018 complete coverage
Devin Booker has established himself as one of the game’s great shooters and confirmation came Saturday during a record run at the Long Distance Shootout.
The Suns guard hit 28 points in the final round. This year the contest included a set of money balls, and Booker drained four out of five. He also hit all the money balls in the remaining racks. Overall, he hit 20 of his 30 balls to beat former champ Klay Thompson, who was the runner up with 25 points.
“Our season hasn’t been too bright so this is kind of a big deal back home,” Booker said. “Hopefully I can come back and win again. When I came out of college I was just considered a shooter but mow I consider myself an elite shooter. I have a lot of respect for what guys like Larry Bird and Craig Hodges did in this contest. I’m just glad my name can be mentioned with those guys.
The defending champ, Eric Gordon of the Rockets, didn’t escape the first round.
“Devin caught fire and that’s a tough number to beat,” Gordon said. “I guess I’ll step up in the second half of the year and make my three-pointers then.”
Verizon Slam Dunk
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Winner: Donovan Mitchell (Jazz)
Runner-Up: Larry Nance Jr. (Cavaliers)
More: NBA All-Star 2018 complete coverage
Donovan Mitchell’s rookie season just keeps getting better.
And that’s officially 2018 Verizon Slam Dunk champion Donovan Mitchell of the surging Utah Jazz, who claimed the crown on friends, family and throwback All-Star Saturday night at Staples Center.
Mitchell needed at least a 47 on his final dunk in the championship round to defeat Larry Nance Jr. of the Cleveland Cavaliers and secured a 48 for the win.
Both players employed family members to aid their respective causes, Mitchell his little sister, along with comedian Kevin Hart and his son, for his second dunk in the first round, and Nance Jr. his father’s old uniform and dunk from the his win in the inaugural Slam Dunk contest in 1984 and later his father for an alley-oop toss that he windmilled on his first dunk in the final round,
But Mitchell closed the contest with an ode to Verizon Slam Dunk legend and the oldest player in the NBA, Vince Carter (of the Sacramento Kings), stripping off his Jazz jersey to don Carter’s old Toronto Raptors’ No. 15. He finished the reverse 360 Carter used to win the the 2000 Verizon Slam Dunk contest in Oakland,
Mitchell earned a 50 on his first dunk in the final round, throwing the ball off the glass to himself for what has become his signature dunk early on in his rookie season. He clipped Nance Jr. 98-96 in the final round.
Nance Jr. finished his night with a 50 of his own, tossing the ball off the glass as he soared towards the basket and jamming it home.
Mitchell, the rookie sensation who leads the Jazz, winners of 11 straight games, and all rookies in scoring, was a late addition to the competition, replacing 2016 Slam Dunk runner-up Aaron Gordon, who had to withdraw due to injury.
Nance Jr. had the crowd on his side just little over a week after being traded to Cleveland from the hometown Los Angeles Lakers.
Indiana Pacers All-Star Victor Oladipo and Dallas Mavericks rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. were eliminated after the first round. Smith, however, did earn the only other 50 of the competition, nailing a between-the-legs 360 reverse on his second dunk of the first round to impress the judges.
Hall of Famer and dunk legend Julius Erving led the star-studded but somewhat unorthodox panel of judges, a group that included former WNBA superstar and Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, a Los Angeles native, Hollywood superstars Chris Rock and Mark Wahlberg and superstar producer DJ Khaled.
2017 Verizon Slam Dunk champion Glenn Robinson III of Indiana is working his way back from ankle surgery was not able to defend his title.
67th NBA All-Star Game
LOS ANGELES (AP) LeBron James picked a winner in the NBA All-Star Game.
James scored 29 points and hit the go-ahead layup with 34.5 seconds to play, winning his third All-Star Game MVP award while his hand-picked team rallied to win an uncommonly entertaining showcase, beating Team Stephen 148-145 Sunday night.
For the first time in the 67 editions of the All-Star Game, the league abandoned the traditional East-West format used since 1951 and allowed team captains James and Stephen Curry to choose their own rosters.
That twist turned a sometimes staid event into the world’s richest pickup game, and the intrigue was reflected on the Staples Center court, where a real basketball game broke out.
LeBron’s team even won an All-Star game with defense: On the final possession, James and Kevin Durant blanketed Curry, preventing the 3-point-shooting superstar from getting off a potential tying shot.
”I think myself and Stephen took it upon ourselves when we took on this format that we had to change the way this game was played,” said James, who also had 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Both teams played defense for long stretches and contested many shots, with LeBron’s group even picking up full-court late in the first half. Team LeBron also rallied from a double-digit deficit in the final minutes, tying it at 144-144 on James’ 3-pointer with 1:31 to play.
LA native DeMar DeRozan hit one free throw to put Team Steph ahead, but LeBron claimed the lead with his layup after some sharp passing by his teammates. DeRozan then made a turnover on an attempted pass to Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Russell Westbrook broke out for a layup with 10.7 seconds left.
Team Steph had one last chance, but even the usually unguardable Curry couldn’t find enough space to launch a 3 between his fellow captain and Durant, his Golden State teammate. Curry finished with 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting.
”We got stops when we needed to,” Westbrook said.
Indeed.
The All-Stars’ shooting percentages and final scores were way down from recent seasons, reflecting the effort on the floor. The relaxed All-Star vibe was still at Staples, however: Curry chowed down on a box of popcorn on the bench during the third quarter, and the stars made time and room for plenty of good-looking dunks and alley-oops.
Each member of the winning team made a cool $100,000, a distinct raise from previous seasons in another attempt to make things more interesting.
The All-Star draft led to interesting dynamics on court.
Curry chose his Golden State teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, but the trio had to play against Durant. James also chose Oklahoma City duo Westbrook and Paul George to play along with Kyrie Irving, who forced a trade away from James in Cleveland just last summer.
Irving and James had no obvious friction, even laughing and joking on the bench. Neither did Durant and Westbrook, who broke up in 2016 when Durant left Oklahoma City for Golden State.
TIP-INS
TEAM STEPHEN: DeRozan and Damian Lillard led with 21 points apiece. … Jimmy Butler didn’t play after being selected for the fourth time. … First-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns was outstanding. The Minnesota forward with 17 points and 10 reobunds.
TEAM LEBRON: Durant scored 19 points and George added 16. … Three first-time All-Stars suited up. Washington’s Bradley Beal scored 14 points, Miami’s Goran Dragic had two and Indiana’s Victor Oladipo got seven.
LA LOVE
The All-Star Game featured no Lakers or Clippers, who share Staples Center during the regular season. But several All-Stars have Los Angeles roots, including area natives Paul George, Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, James Harden and Klay Thompson. George and James are coveted as offseason signings by Lakers fans, but there was no reprise of the ”We want Paul!” chants for the Palmdale native after Saturday’s All-Star practice.
THE ABSENT
LeBron lost four of his original selections to injuries, including Cleveland teammate Kevin Love, Kristaps Porzingis and John Wall. Anthony Davis represented his fellow New Orleans All-Star, DeMarcus Cousins, by wearing Cousins’ No. 0 jersey to start the game.
HOLLYWOOD HOME GAME
The All-Star weekend was held in Hollywood for a record sixth time. A partial list of celebrities attending the game: Jack Nicholson, Beyonce, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Chadwick Boseman, Chance the Rapper, Jimmy Kimmel, Michael B. Jordan, Chris Rock, Ludacris, Common, Spike Lee, Andy Garcia, Dave Chappelle, DJ Khaled, Tracy Morgan, Sean Combs, Odell Beckham Jr. and pregame host Kevin Hart, who lobbed roast-style jokes at the All-Stars with mostly blah results. After a much-criticized pregame national anthem from Fergie, N.E.R.D and Migos performed an energizing halftime show.
MANY MISSES
The All-Stars’ 3-point accuracy was hardly world-class, with Artesia High School’s Harden going 2 for 13 and Leuzinger High’s Westbrook going 1 for 6. Team Steph was a combined 17 for 65 beyond the arc, including 3-for-11 for Curry.
UP NEXT
The 68th NBA All-Star Game will be in Charlotte on Feb. 17, 2019. North Carolina was scheduled to host the 2017 All-Star Game, but lost it in July 2016 because of the state legislature’s Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, which is considered by many to be discriminatory. Hornets owner Michael Jordan got a standing ovation when he appeared at center court alongside Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer to reveal the logo for next year’s game.
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More AP basketball: www.apnews.com/tags/NBAbasketball
