"Winner winner, chicken dinner." 🏆#TeamGiannis x #PhantomCam pic.twitter.com/qybeyfmUJc
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
2023 NBA All-Star Game score: Jayson Tatum breaks scoring record, wins MVP; LeBron James' streak ends
The Celtics star topped Anthony Davis' mark by scoring 55 points for Team Giannis
The 2023 NBA All-Star Game is officially in the books as Team Giannis has taken down Team LeBron by the score of 184-175 to hand the league's all-time scoring champion his first loss as an All-Star Game captain. Prior to tonight, James was a perfect 5-0 since the game had changed formats to allow the two leading vote-getters to serve as captains and choose their own teams. In the end, Jayson Tatum stole the show as the Celtics star earned MVP honors after breaking Anthony Davis' All-Star Game scoring record with 55 points in the victory.
Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Kyrie Irving, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Lauri Markkanen and Ja Morant started alongside LeBron and Giannis. Damian Lillard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaylen Brown highlighted the list of reserves. In the end, it was Damian Lillard who was taken first overall by Team Giannis during the pre-game player draft with Team LeBron making Anthony Edwards their first selection. The full rosters for the game can be found below:
Team LeBron | Team Giannis |
---|---|
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves | Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers |
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics | Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks |
Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder |
Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers | DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls |
Julius Randle, New York Knicks | Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors |
De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings | Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat |
Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies | Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings |
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers | Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics |
Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks | Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies |
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks | Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers |
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets | Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz |
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers | Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks |
The All-Star Game capped off an eventful weekend in Salt Lake City. Jose Alvarado of the Pelicans was named MVP of the Rising Stars Game on Friday night before Mac McClung stole the show at Saturday night's Dunk Contest. Tatum ultimately put the bow on All-Star Weekend with his record-setting performance to close out a successful celebration of the game's elite.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from Sunday's game.
1. Some players are better suited for the ASG than others
Luka Doncic, a starter in yet another All-Star Game, scored just four points on Sunday for Team LeBron. That drags down his All-Star scoring average, which was at a robust eight points per All-Star Game before this one. Nikola Jokic also scored four points, and he had a game-worst minus-16 plus-minus. "I am not meant for this game," Jokic said after the game. He raised an interesting point.
Is there a template for what sort of players tend to thrive in this game? Apparently, yes. Take Damian Lillard, who averaged 18 points per All-Star Game before Sunday and put up another 26 for Team Giannis tonight. Kyrie Irving put up a similar 32 points, and he won this game's MVP award in 2014. It seems as though your best bet to thrive in this game is to be a small, athletic guard that can make 3-pointers in bunches.
It makes sense intuitively. This is a game about fast-paced entertainment value. Doncic and Jokic like to play at their own, slower pace. They produce plenty of highlights, but this setting just isn't ideal for them.
2. The new trend for injured stars?
We witnessed something interesting in the opening moments of the All-Star Game. Giannis Antetokounmpo, a captain, scored one quick dunk, committed an intentional foul, and then exited the game. That was seemingly the plan coming into the night. Antetokounmpo is dealing with a wrist injury. Yet it not only left Team Giannis shorthanded but also deprived fans of one of the game's main draws.
That is likely one of the reasons his status was not announced before the game. In theory, it would have made more sense for the NBA to simply replace Antetokounmpo with another high-profile player who was at All-Star Weekend for another event. It didn't do so, and the explanations are all relatively nefarious. Aside from wanting to have Antetokounmpo as a draw, it simply makes sense for the league to limit the number of players who appear in an All-Star Game because players with an All-Star appearance on their resume tend to use that as leverage in contract negotiations. Some even have All-Star incentives in their contracts.
There were other injured players that were ruled out well in advance of Sunday's All-Star Game. Antetokounmpo's injury came on Wednesday. That's theoretically plenty of time to find a replacement, yet the league chose not to do it. It's worth wondering at this stage if this will be the norm moving forward. Aside from hurting the actual All-Star product, it poses serious problems for a league that is now heavily invested in the sports betting industry. If the NBA wants to drive interest through gambling, having fans bet on Antetokounmpo to win MVP or on his team to win the game (which it ultimately did) might not be the best look. Given those implications, the league probably needs to be a bit more transparent about things like this moving forward.
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3. The All-Star format desperately needs tweaking
Nearly half of the shots taken on Sunday were 3-pointers (126 of 255). The combination of Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell combined for roughly 62 percent of Team Giannis' shot attempts (77-of-123). That should give you a rough idea of the sort of game we watched on Sunday. Both teams walked the ball up the court and either jacked up a 3-pointer or walked into a dunk or layup. The few players that got hot monopolized the ball and turned the game into what was functionally a 3-point contest.
The All-Star Game is almost always like this to an extent. Players aren't going to put energy into defending in an exhibition. If they can avoid running the floor, they're going to. But it never felt more apparent than it did on Sunday, with so many big-name players out. Take a glance at your social media outlet of choice and you'll see fans complaining about what a boring game we just witnessed.
The NBA tried to fix this by adding the Elam Ending a few years ago. It gave close All-Star Games an exciting ending but did little to address the problems that plague the first three quarters. At this point, the All-Star Game hardly even resembles a typical game of basketball, and if that continues, it's worth asking what non-financial purpose the event even serves. It might be time to do away with the traditional game itself and come up with something that engages the fans a bit more. Sunday was supposed to be the league's showcase of its best and brightest. Instead, it was a lazy shootout with limited star power and viewing appeal.
Live updates
#NBAAllStar 2024 is in Indianapolis, IN! The 73rd annual NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, Feb. 18, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Pacers. pic.twitter.com/kXDmqRhZpI
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 20, 2023
Jayson Tatum lifts the Kobe Bryant Trophy for the #KiaAllStarMVP 🏆#NBAAllStar x #PhantomCam pic.twitter.com/WSjac62fqs
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
Spicy P cam was rolling all weekend 📹
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
Drop the footage, @pskills43 🤣#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/9rFRWHVlPQ
We can’t thank you enough @NBA, @nbacares & @Giannis_An34 for choosing our organization 🙌🏻 It was a one and a life time experience for youth, their families and our staff as well🧡💛 #TeamGiannis https://t.co/dv4EnUBGnq
— Raise the Future (@RaiseFuture) February 20, 2023
Jayson Tatum's jumper was cash all night.
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
55 PTS, 10 3PM, 71% FG#NBAAllStar x #PhantomCam pic.twitter.com/RWI9jFXvgI
LBJ x JT 🤝#NBAAllStar | #PhantomCam pic.twitter.com/0oj2xZLy0b
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
Dame called game ⌚️#NBAAllStar x #PhantomCam pic.twitter.com/TIYx3nX3hn
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
Deuce and Dad ❤️#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/iZxrPxuGt3
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
LeBron reflects on being honored for becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer.#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/Q4h1CexBD0
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
The #KiaAllStarMVP & his first signature shoe on the same day! #NBAKicks pic.twitter.com/SoGdB2eNWB
— 🏀 #NBAKicks 👟 (@NBAKicks) February 20, 2023
This moment between JB, JT, and Deuce ❤️#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/l2jZZD6LTc
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
Brothers from Boston ☘️#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/MxQGu8iQgw
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
"We've always brought the best out of each other."
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
Jayson Tatum speaks on his 1v1 battle with @celtics teammate Jaylen Brown tonight.#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/A3HPLsfAhN
Friendly game of catch 🏀 #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/lE5QFQTFpr
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 20, 2023
"I'm not too far removed from being a kid in St. Louis with a ball and a dream."
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
Listen to this sound from Jayson Tatum. pic.twitter.com/qPRqlRhJ1h
🔥 @spidadmitchell x @fatjoe after the #TeamGiannis win at #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/VYayOiIwXc
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 20, 2023
🏆 @jaytatum0 hoists the Kobe Bryant Trophy for the #KiaAllStarMVP!
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 20, 2023
55 PTS, #NBAAllStar Game record pic.twitter.com/p0HM0kFaXa
😂 @pskills43 brought out the camcorder for the postgame celebration 📹#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/4KHDkPKmLf
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 20, 2023
Winner-winner 🏆 #TeamGiannis takes the trophy! #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/llmoGIXEou
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 20, 2023
"It's extremely special for me."
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
Jayson Tatum on winning the Kobe Bryant Trophy for the #KiaAllStarMVP 🏆 pic.twitter.com/OYq1NNz6y0
Giannis speaks on his decision to draft Jayson Tatum to #TeamGiannis tonight 🗣️
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
Tatum set the #NBAAllStar Game record with 55 PTS in the W. pic.twitter.com/b3fyC711yV
The best plays from #TeamGiannis tonight 👀
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
Tatum: 55 PTS, 10 REB, 6 AST, 10 3PM
Mitchell: 40 PTS, 4 REB, 10 AST, 8 3PM
Lillard: 26 PTS, 4 AST, 3 STL, 8 3PM pic.twitter.com/1UVIIbxzAU
LeBron on picking Kyrie 2nd out of the Starters Pool for #TeamLeBron 🗣️#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/PH4ceoNgQo
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
Dame for the win. Splash. 🎯#MovementThatInspires | #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/0jjMC9dCV2
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
#TeamGiannis wins the 2023 #NBAAllStar game! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/8xZtWnKTn3
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
#TeamGiannis WINS the 2023 #NBAAllStar Game!
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
They earn a total of $550,000 for @RaiseFuture, while #TeamLeBron earns $200,000 for @bbbsutah.#KiaAllStarMVP Jayson Tatum set an All-Star Game record with 55 POINTS! pic.twitter.com/zvjYndZvth
"I would not draft myself either."
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
Nikola Jokic after being picked 7th from the Starters Pool tonight 🤣#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/ZpOQfsldUE
Jayson Tatum receives the Kobe Bryant Trophy for the #KiaAllStarMVP! 🏆#NBAAllStar | @Kia pic.twitter.com/eP4px3UbD6
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
55 PTS (NBA All-Star Game Record)
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
10 REB
6 AST
10 3PM
Jayson Tatum balled out to lead #TeamGiannis to the win and claim 2023 #KiaAllStarMVP!#NBAAllStar | @Kia pic.twitter.com/k4EXJHtTgz