Points records fall at the All-Star Game, with the East beating the West 211-186
AP
Feb 19, 2024
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The NBA wanted more competition. It got more points instead - more than ever before.
And once again, the All-Star Game was all offense.
All-Star MVP Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks scored 39 points and 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.
“We had fun,” East captain Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks said.
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.
Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics had 36 and Tyrese Haliburton from the hometown Indiana Pacers finished with 32 for the East, while Antetokounmpo had 23 and Jayson Tatum finished with 20.
“To be able to have this kind of accomplishment, it's special,” Lillard said.
Perhaps unnoticed: Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves scored 50 points for the West in just 28 minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder scored 31 points for the West.
“The shot-making from the East was incredible,” West forward Kevin Durant said. “Hard to play defense when somebody's shooting 30-, 40-footers over you.”
The West scored a ton of points, too: At 186, it had the fourth-most by any team in All-Star history. And obviously, the most ever in a loss.
Among the other records:
- The East tried 97 3-pointers; the previous record was 90 by Team LeBron in 2019.
- The teams combined for 66 3s made and 168 3s attempted (previous records were 62 and 167 in 2019).
- The teams combined for 163 field goals made and 289 attempted (previous records were 162 in 2017 and 286 in 2016).
“Obviously, it wasn’t high intensity, at all,” Haliburton said.
Lillard made some history, too. He defended his 3-point shootout title on Saturday night - then won MVP on Sunday night. The only other player to win a Saturday event and All-Star MVP in the same weekend was Michael Jordan in 1988, when he won the dunk contest as well as the MVP trophy.
“Dame put on a show,” Tatum said, “and I was happy for him.”
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.
The only drama in the fourth was about the record - and really, that wasn’t in doubt. The East had 160 points through three quarters, only needing 37 more to set the team All-Star record.
Brown’s 3-pointer with 1:54 left broke the mark, giving the East 197. Haliburton made the shot that sent a scoreboard to the 200-point mark for the first time in any sort of official NBA history, connecting from deep with 1:27 left.
Lillard said the East wanted the record.
“Everybody was asking what the record was,” Lillard said. “We found out and went after it.”
And Lillard ended it in style - a 44-footer to close the scoring. He made 11 3-pointers on the night, with the official distance of those recorded at 347 feet. A typical NBA 3-pointer is 24 or 25 feet; Lillard averaged 31 1/2 feet on his 3s Sunday night.
Durant said he was watching Lillard on the West bench while sitting with the Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard. “We were in awe,” Durant said.
Defense was optional, sometimes accidental. There were 14 steals, most of those coming off wayward passes. And there were even three blocked shots.
Otherwise, it was shooting practice. And the tone was set quickly - Haliburton had five 3-pointers in a wild span of just 1:32 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 was hoping the message from the league resonated and players took the All-Star 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.”
They might not have competed the way Bird wanted - but they showed the fans plenty about how good they 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.
Fun was had, and LeBron James - in his 20th All-Star Game, extending his record - said there was one big takeaway.
“The good thing that came out of tonight is none of the players were injured,” James said. “Everybody came out unscathed.”
Except the scoreboard, perhaps.
UP NEXT
The 74th NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2025, at Chase Center in San Francisco, the home of the Golden State Warriors. It’ll be the first time for the game in the Bay Area since 2000.
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1st Quarter
West
All-Stars
47
East
All-Stars
53
Time
Team
Play
Score
12:00
Nikola Jokic vs. Bam Adebayo (LeBron James gains possession)
11:50
Kevin Durant misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot
11:47
Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive rebound
11:39
+3
Jayson Tatum makes three point jump shot (Giannis Antetokounmpo assists)
0-3
11:23
+3
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes three point jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists)
3-3
11:09
Damian Lillard misses three point jump shot
11:06
LeBron James defensive rebound
11:02
+2
LeBron James makes two point running dunk
5-3
10:51
Bam Adebayo misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot
10:47
LeBron James defensive rebound
10:42
+2
Kevin Durant makes two point running alley-oop layup (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assists)
7-3
10:31
+2
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point finger roll layup (Jayson Tatum assists)
7-5
10:17
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses three point jump shot
10:15
Nikola Jokic offensive rebound
10:14
+3
Kevin Durant makes three point jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists)
10-5
10:02
Damian Lillard misses three point pullup jump shot
9:59
Bam Adebayo offensive rebound
9:58
+3
Tyrese Haliburton makes three point jump shot (Bam Adebayo assists)
10-8
9:42
Luka Doncic misses three point jump shot
9:39
Kevin Durant offensive rebound
9:37
LeBron James misses three point jump shot
9:34
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander offensive rebound
9:33
Luka Doncic misses two point layup
9:31
Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive rebound
9:27
+3
Tyrese Haliburton makes three point running jump shot (Damian Lillard assists)
10-11
9:13
LeBron James misses two point fadeaway jump shot
9:13
Bam Adebayo defensive rebound
9:05
+3
Tyrese Haliburton makes three point pullup jump shot
10-14
8:50
+2
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point dunk
12-14
8:40
+3
Tyrese Haliburton makes three point stepback jump shot
12-17
8:32
+2
LeBron James makes two point driving finger roll layup (Luka Doncic assists)
14-17
8:26
+3
Tyrese Haliburton makes three point pullup jump shot (Damian Lillard assists)
14-20
8:14
Nikola Jokic misses two point driving floating jump shot
8:11
Nikola Jokic offensive rebound
8:11
+2
Nikola Jokic makes two point tip layup
16-20
8:03
Tyrese Haliburton misses three point pullup jump shot
7:59
Luka Doncic defensive rebound
7:52
+2
Nikola Jokic makes two point alley-oop layup (Luka Doncic assists)
18-20
7:41
+2
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point alley-oop dunk (Bam Adebayo assists)
18-22
7:29
+2
Nikola Jokic makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assists)
20-22
7:20
+3
Bam Adebayo makes three point pullup jump shot
20-25
7:02
+2
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Kevin Durant assists)
22-25
6:48
Damian Lillard misses three point pullup jump shot
6:44
West NBA All Stars defensive rebound
6:44
East NBA All Stars 60 second timeout
6:33
LeBron James turnover (bad pass) (Jayson Tatum steals)
6:28
+2
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point running dunk (Tyrese Haliburton assists)
22-27
6:15
+3
Stephen Curry makes three point jump shot (LeBron James assists)
25-27
6:03
Giannis Antetokounmpo misses three point pullup jump shot
6:02
Stephen Curry defensive rebound
6:00
Tyrese Haliburton kicked ball violation
5:57
+2
Anthony Davis makes two point reverse dunk (Stephen Curry assists)
27-27
5:43
Jayson Tatum misses three point jump shot
5:39
Jaylen Brown offensive rebound
5:38
Jaylen Brown misses three point fadeaway jump shot
5:36
Jayson Tatum offensive rebound
5:32
+2
Jayson Tatum makes two point putback layup
27-29
5:28
+2
LeBron James makes two point driving dunk (Luka Doncic assists)
29-29
5:20
+3
Damian Lillard makes three point pullup jump shot
29-32
5:08
Luka Doncic turnover (lost ball) (Damian Lillard steals)
5:00
+3
Damian Lillard makes three point running jump shot (Tyrese Haliburton assists)
29-35
4:52
+2
Kevin Durant makes two point pullup jump shot (Stephen Curry assists)
31-35
4:41
Jaylen Brown misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot
4:41
Kevin Durant defensive rebound
4:29
LeBron James misses three point jump shot
4:28
East NBA All Stars defensive rebound
4:14
+3
Damian Lillard makes three point jump shot (Paolo Banchero assists)
31-38
4:08
+3
Kawhi Leonard makes three point pullup jump shot
34-38
3:58
+3
Donovan Mitchell makes three point jump shot (Paolo Banchero assists)
34-41
3:48
Kawhi Leonard misses three point jump shot
3:47
East NBA All Stars defensive rebound
3:39
Anthony Davis blocks Paolo Banchero's two point driving layup
3:38
East NBA All Stars offensive rebound
3:32
Jalen Brunson misses three point stepback jump shot
3:30
Devin Booker defensive rebound
3:23
+3
Stephen Curry makes three point jump shot (Anthony Davis assists)
37-41
3:09
+2
Jaylen Brown makes two point cutting layup (Paolo Banchero assists)
37-43
2:59
+2
Anthony Edwards makes two point driving finger roll layup (Stephen Curry assists)
39-43
2:44
Donovan Mitchell misses three point jump shot
2:40
Anthony Davis defensive rebound
2:33
+2
Anthony Davis makes two point cutting dunk (Stephen Curry assists)
41-43
2:22
Kawhi Leonard shooting foul (Tyrese Maxey draws the foul)
2:22
West NBA All Stars 60 second timeout
2:22
+1
Tyrese Maxey makes regular free throw 1 of 2
41-44
2:22
+1
Tyrese Maxey makes regular free throw 2 of 2
41-45
2:10
Stephen Curry misses three point fadeaway jump shot
2:07
Tyrese Maxey defensive rebound
2:02
+2
Jaylen Brown makes two point running finger roll layup
41-47
1:56
Devin Booker misses three point pullup jump shot
1:54
Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound
1:47
Donovan Mitchell misses three point pullup jump shot
1:42
Devin Booker defensive rebound
1:36
+2
Anthony Davis makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Devin Booker assists)
43-47
1:29
+3
Jaylen Brown makes three point pullup jump shot
43-50
1:12
Stephen Curry misses three point jump shot
1:09
Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound
1:05
Tyrese Maxey misses three point running pullup jump shot
1:02
Jaylen Brown offensive rebound
0:56
Stephen Curry blocks Paolo Banchero's two point dunk
0:53
Devin Booker defensive rebound
0:51
+2
Anthony Edwards makes two point running dunk (Devin Booker assists)
45-50
0:46
Paolo Banchero misses three point jump shot
0:43
Anthony Edwards defensive rebound
0:33
Devin Booker misses three point jump shot
0:32
Jaylen Brown defensive rebound
0:25
Jaylen Brown misses three point pullup jump shot
0:21
Tyrese Maxey offensive rebound
0:20
Jalen Brunson misses three point jump shot
0:20
Anthony Davis defensive rebound
0:11
Anthony Davis turnover (bad pass) (Donovan Mitchell steals)
0:11
Donovan Mitchell turnover (out of bounds step)
0:10
+2
Devin Booker makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot (Anthony Davis assists)
47-50
0:02
+3
Tyrese Maxey makes three point jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists)
47-53
0:00
Anthony Edwards misses three point pullup jump shot
0:00
West NBA All Stars offensive rebound
0:00
End of period
2nd Quarter
West
All-Stars
42
East
All-Stars
51
Time
Team
Play
Score
11:51
Jalen Brunson misses three point jump shot
11:47
LeBron James defensive rebound
11:41
Devin Booker misses three point pullup jump shot
11:38
Paolo Banchero defensive rebound
11:30
Donovan Mitchell turnover (bad pass) (Paul George steals)
11:20
Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot
11:16
Paolo Banchero defensive rebound
11:12
+2
Paolo Banchero makes two point running dunk
47-55
10:58
Paul George misses two point turnaround jump shot
10:55
Jalen Brunson defensive rebound
10:48
Scottie Barnes misses three point jump shot
10:44
Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound
10:40
+2
Devin Booker makes two point running alley-oop dunk (LeBron James assists)
49-55
10:31
+2
Tyrese Maxey makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Jalen Brunson assists)
49-57
10:19
+2
Paul George makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot
51-57
10:09
+3
Tyrese Maxey makes three point pullup jump shot
51-60
9:56
Paul George misses three point pullup jump shot
9:53
Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound
9:49
+3
Donovan Mitchell makes three point driving floating jump shot
51-63
9:38
Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot
9:36
Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound
9:29
+3
Jalen Brunson makes three point jump shot (Paolo Banchero assists)
51-66
9:21
LeBron James misses two point alley-oop dunk
9:21
Scottie Barnes defensive rebound
9:14
+2
Scottie Barnes makes two point running dunk (Jalen Brunson assists)
51-68
9:04
LeBron James misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot
9:04
Paul George offensive rebound
9:00
Paul George turnover (out of bounds bad pass)
8:46
+2
Damian Lillard makes two point fadeaway jump shot
51-70
8:37
+2
Paul George makes two point driving layup
53-70
8:37
Trae Young shooting foul (Paul George draws the foul)
8:37
+1
Paul George makes regular free throw 1 of 1
54-70
8:30
Giannis Antetokounmpo misses two point driving finger roll layup
8:28
LeBron James defensive rebound
8:24
LeBron James misses three point running pullup jump shot
8:22
Trae Young defensive rebound
8:21
Trae Young turnover (traveling)
8:19
+3
Kevin Durant makes three point jump shot (LeBron James assists)
57-70
8:07
Damian Lillard misses three point pullup jump shot
8:05
Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound
7:59
+2
Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point running dunk
59-70
7:51
Trae Young misses three point jump shot
7:47
Giannis Antetokounmpo offensive rebound
7:47
+2
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point putback dunk
59-72
7:35
+3
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes three point pullup jump shot
62-72
7:24
+3
Damian Lillard makes three point stepback jump shot
62-75
7:11
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses two point driving reverse layup
7:09
Scottie Barnes defensive rebound
7:02
+2
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point dunk (Damian Lillard assists)
62-77
6:52
Paul George misses two point driving reverse layup
6:50
Scottie Barnes defensive rebound
6:45
Giannis Antetokounmpo misses two point running dunk
6:42
Jalen Brunson offensive rebound
6:41
Jalen Brunson misses three point jump shot
6:37
Giannis Antetokounmpo offensive rebound
6:34
Scottie Barnes turnover (bad pass) (Kevin Durant steals)
6:31
+2
LeBron James makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Paul George assists)
64-77
6:17
+3
Damian Lillard makes three point jump shot (Jalen Brunson assists)
64-80
6:06
+3
Paul George makes three point jump shot (Kevin Durant assists)
67-80
5:56
+2
Trae Young makes two point driving floating jump shot
67-82
5:46
Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point bank hook shot
5:44
Jalen Brunson defensive rebound
5:44
East NBA All Stars 60 second timeout
5:38
Damian Lillard misses three point stepback jump shot
5:35
Kevin Durant defensive rebound
5:27
+2
Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving finger roll layup
69-82
5:11
+2
Jayson Tatum makes two point driving finger roll layup (Trae Young assists)
69-84
4:54
Stephen Curry misses two point driving reverse layup
4:52
East NBA All Stars defensive rebound
4:40
+2
Jayson Tatum makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot (Trae Young assists)
69-86
4:29
+2
Kawhi Leonard makes two point driving floating jump shot
71-86
4:23
Trae Young misses three point pullup jump shot
4:20
Kawhi Leonard defensive rebound
4:13
+2
Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point running finger roll layup (Kevin Durant assists)
73-86
4:04
+2
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point alley-oop dunk (Trae Young assists)
73-88
3:49
+2
Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving finger roll layup (Kevin Durant assists)
75-88
3:38
Giannis Antetokounmpo misses three point jump shot
3:34
Kawhi Leonard defensive rebound
3:31
+2
Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point running finger roll layup (Kawhi Leonard assists)
77-88
3:16
+3
Damian Lillard makes three point stepback jump shot
77-91
3:05
+2
Kevin Durant makes two point driving finger roll layup
79-91
2:52
+2
Damian Lillard makes two point driving finger roll layup
79-93
2:50
West NBA All Stars 60 second timeout
2:39
Kevin Durant turnover (out of bounds bad pass)
2:30
Bam Adebayo turnover (out of bounds lost ball)
2:26
Nikola Jokic misses two point alley-oop layup
2:24
Tyrese Haliburton defensive rebound
2:17
+3
Jayson Tatum makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists)
79-96
2:08
+3
Stephen Curry makes three point pullup jump shot
82-96
1:56
Jayson Tatum misses three point stepback jump shot
1:52
Tyrese Haliburton offensive rebound
1:52
+3
Tyrese Haliburton makes three point jump shot
82-99
1:41
Stephen Curry misses two point driving layup
1:39
Tyrese Haliburton defensive rebound
1:35
Tyrese Maxey misses three point running jump shot
1:30
Jaylen Brown offensive rebound
1:30
Jaylen Brown turnover (out of bounds bad pass)
1:22
Kawhi Leonard misses three point jump shot
1:19
Luka Doncic offensive rebound
1:16
+2
Luka Doncic makes two point driving layup
84-99
1:03
Jaylen Brown misses three point stepback jump shot
0:59
Tyrese Maxey offensive rebound
0:58
Jayson Tatum misses three point jump shot
0:55
Luka Doncic defensive rebound
0:53
+3
Stephen Curry makes three point running jump shot (Luka Doncic assists)