Highlights from the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend

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The All-Star Game

Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James faced off once again as the captains. The game began explosively as Jayson Tatum sank a 3-pointer from the corner, assisted by Giannisu Antetokounmpo. By the end of the first quarter, the East held a lead of 53-47, with Pacers All-Star Tyrese Halliburton showcasing his bid for the games MVP with an impressive 15 points from five successful 3-pointers. The game continued with Halliburton's stellar performance as he delivered a remarkable behind-the-back pass to Giannis Antetokounmpo for a dunk. But later Damian Lillard overtook Tyrese Haliburton as the game's leading scorer. With the East maintaining control, highlighted by a spectacular half-court alley-oop from Trae Young to Antetokounmpo, the question loomed whether the West could step up to the challenge or if the game would follow the trend of previous years. As the first half concluded, the East held a commanding 104-89 lead, marking the highest point total for a half in All-Star Game history. With the East crushing the West on 3-pointers and Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton continuing to put up points, the East took a 160-136 lead after three quarters. And to spice the game up even though they were down by 20 points Luka Dončić, and Nikola Jokić played hot potato down the court in the forth quarter. In the end, it was Lillard and the East who won with a 211-186 win over the West. Contrary to expectations following last year's criticism, there was no noticeable increase in defensive play during this year's All-Star Game as can be seen from the end result. Lillard who had 39 points and hit 11 3 pointers was named the game's MVP and given the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP award. But it was followed by a lot of boos from the crowd as it was clear that Tyrese Haliburton was the hometown pick for MVP.

New records set it the 2024 All-Star Game

Several records were broken during the All-Star 2024 Game the most impressive one being the Eastern Conference becoming the first team ever to score over 200 points in the game. Jaylen Brown also set a new record for the most three-pointers by one team in an All-Star Game with 36, surpassing the previous record of 35 set by Team LeBron in 2019. Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves also made history by surpassing Jayson Tatum's record for the most points scored in a half of the All-Star Game, achieving 40 points in the first half and a total of 50 points in the game. LeBron James, despite his ankle injury, made history by playing in his 20th NBA All-Star Game, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of 19 appearances. However, due to his injury, he did not get to start in the second half.

Kia Skills Challenge, Starry 3-Point Contest and AT&T Slam Dunk contest

Overall, the Kia Skills Challenge is a three-round competition where the teams of three players amass “Challenge Points” throughout each round. Team Antetokounmpo, Team Jazz, and Team Rookies battled it out and in the end, Team Jazz came out victorious Young kicked off the Starry 3-Point Contest with a remarkable performance as the first shooter of the night. Both Young and Lillard showcased stellar skills, resulting in a tied challenge. However, the introduction of the "Starry" balls from the previous year, positioned on pedestals deep behind the 3-point line and worth three points each, proved to be the deciding factor. Lillard's success in sinking one of these pivotal shots during the tiebreaker in the finals secured his victory. With this win, Lillard became the NBA's first back-to-back 3-point contest champion since Jason Kapono. McClung also secured his second consecutive victory in the AT&T Slam Dunk contest, with one standout moment: executing an incredible dunk where he grabbed the ball from atop someone's head, flipped it up to himself, and slammed down a reverse dunk that left the audience in awe.

Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu 3-point challenge

The highly anticipated 1-on-1 showdown between Ionescu and Curry undoubtedly fuelled the NBA's highest Saturday night ratings in four years. According to the NBA 10 million viewers tuned in to "Stephen vs. Sabrini" marking a 54% increase from the previous year., In their "Stephen vs. Sabrina" shootout, Sabrina Ionescu gave Stephen Curry a run for his money, scoring 26 points to his 29.

After the game she said: "If you can shoot, you can shoot. It doesn’t matter if you're a girl or a boy."

Saturday's event triumph has already sparked discussions between Curry and Ionescu about expanding it further next year. As we wrap up our coverage of the All-Star 2024 Weekend , we'd love to hear your thoughts and reflections on the action-packed events. Did your favorite player shine on the court? Were you impressed by any particular records broken? Share your highlights and join the conversation in the comments below! And don't forget, if you're looking to gear up like the pros, be sure to check out Grosbasket's store for the latest assortment of "All-Star" colorways of KD 16, Freak 5, Ja 1, Luka 2.