The All-Star Game was shaping up to be a lot like most of the games LeBron James plays: he was leading his team in minutes at halftime. Yet, unlike the remaining 23 regular-season games, the one he played on Sunday had no real stakes.
Therefore, while LeBron James was ruled out of the second half of the NBA’s premier exhibition due to a right hand bruise, it should be regarded with a grain of salt as precautionary rather than significant. James ended with 13 points and four assists, but he left the game before the final score of 184-175, Team LeBron losing to Team Giannis.
Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics established a new All-Star Game scoring record with 55 points, breaking Anthony Davis’ previous mark. Tatum finished with 22 points on 31 attempts (10 from 3-point range), 10 rebounds, and six assists.
Minutes after it was revealed that James would not play after halftime, he came onto a platform to be recognised by long time buddy Dwyane Wade for breaking the NBA’s lifetime scoring record, along with his now-top two runners-up, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. James shook the hands of all three guys, showing no signs of discomfort.
James’ right pinky finger was trapped on the basket on an attempted chase-down block in the second quarter, although the injury was not considered serious. Yet James was not planned on playing significant minutes either, indicating before the game that he wouldn’t “go crazy” in his 19th All-Star appearance due to an ailing left foot ailment, and the time appeared as good as any to remove James from additional risk.
“I attempted to get a small chase-down block and my finger got stuck in the rim,” James explained after the game. “Well, I’ll be OK. I’m going to be OK. “I don’t think there’s anything to be concerned about.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo was pulled out after dunking on the first possession of the game and committing a take foul 20 seconds later. In his last game before the All-Star break, the Milwaukee Bucks player sustained a wrist injury.
Sadly for James, the loss tarnished his flawless record when assembling his own squad. His first two starts were his best: Joel Embiid of Philadelphia had 32 points and Kyrie Irving of Dallas had 32 points and 15 assists. Jaylen Brown of Boston led the squad with 35 points and 14 rebounds. Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers scored eight points on four-of-13 shooting (0 for 9 from behind the arc).
Donovan Mitchell, the Cleveland Cavaliers guard who scored 40 points in a return to Utah, where he was a standout with the Jazz, was the other big gun for Team Antetokounmpo.
There were more hilarious antics during the drafting process, which was aired live soon before tip-off for the first time. Antetokounmpo erred in the reserve-picking round by selecting Ja Morant, who was already in the starting lineup. The Bucks star was chastised by James for selecting Portland’s Damian Lillard first among reserves although his teammate Jrue Holiday was still available.
With his first overall choice, Embiid, James couldn’t disguise his excitement in the opening round when he selected his former colleague Irving – James earlier acknowledged he was “disappointed” when the Lakers didn’t trade for him. When it came down to him and Utah forward Lauri Markkanen, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the two-time reigning MVP who may win a third this season, effectively selected himself by strolling up to James.
Jokic, who finished with four points and was caught off guard by an outlet ball that went by him, had a light attitude about falling late in the selection: “No, I would not choose myself either. “I’m not cut out for this game.” Before All-Star weekend, James indicated he liked the pre-taped televised draught system, but he didn’t quarrel with experimenting.
“It’s always wonderful to test new ideas and see how we can improve,” he remarked. “This is especially true for our game. It’s always exciting to have the chance to explore new formats, new methods to spice up the game, spice up the viewership, and other such things.”
Tatum scored 27 points in the third quarter, setting another All-Star Game record for any time. Antetokounmpo selected him first in the starters’ part of the All-Star draught, and that choice proved to be correct.
Tatum’s MVP trophy is named after Lakers great Kobe Bryant, who is one of his heroes. “That means everything,” Tatum added. “When you think of all the legends and great players that have played this game, records are designed to be broken. I’ll keep it for as long as I can, but I’m sure someone will try to break it in a couple of years.”
Antetokounmpo stated that he chose Tatum for a reason. “I knew he’d take it seriously. “That was an easy decision,” he remarked. Lillard scored 26 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer that sent his team over the goal line. Lillard, the champion of the 3-point shooting contest on All-Star Saturday Night, went 8 for 20 from long range and pulled up from half-court to hit one in the third quarter.