Giannis' team won the All-Star Game, Jayson Tatum with a new record
The team with captain Giannis Antetokounmpo won the 72nd edition of the "Game of Stars" in the NBA after winning 184:175 over the team led by LeBron James. The show took place at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City and offered more than one spectacular performance. Jayson Tatum was chosen as MVP, scoring a game-high 55 points. The leader of the Boston Celtics added 10 rebounds and 6 assists to his statistics.
LeBron James' team lost the All-Star Game for the first time since it took place in the new format, and Giannis recorded his first win as captain. The Greek international stayed on the floor for only a few seconds because of the injury in his right wrist. He opened the scoring with a dunk, then exited the game. LeBron, on the other hand, was injured while attempting an umbrella at the end of the first half and finished with only 13 points.
The starting lineups were decided in a curious way, with the two captains choosing their teammates themselves on the principle of street games. LeBron named Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving and Nikola Jokic as starters in his team, and Giannis completed his five with Lauri Markkanen, Donovan Mitchell, Ja Morant and Jayson Tatum. A funny moment in the peculiar draft was the mistake of Antetokounmpo, who tried to select Ja Morant as a reserve in his team, even though he was selected among the starters.
The two teams generated $750,000 in prize money, which will be given to charity. According to the regulation, the driver after the first three quarters had to score another 24 points in the last 12 minutes to reach the victory. Yannis' team entered the final period with a 17-point lead - 158:141, losing it 26:34, but still took the ultimate success.
Tatum scored 17 points before the break and scored 27 in the third quarter. The Boston star made 22 of 31 shots, including 10 of 18 three-pointers. In doing so, he sent the all-time record for most points in the All-Star Game, which belonged to Anthony Davis (53 points in 2017), into history.
"I really wanted to win the MVP award. I didn't think I could score 55 points. This is the icing on the cake," Tatum admitted after receiving the award named after legend Kobe Bryant.
The first part ended in a draw - 46:46, after which Yannis' team gained the lead. The basket that put an end to the duel was the work of Damian Lillard. Donovan Mitchell also excelled for the winners with 40 points and 10 assists, and Jaylen Brown was above everyone in LeBron James' team with 35 points and 14 rebounds.
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