Jayson Tatum delivered a record-setting performance and makes Giannis Antetokounmpo appear like a genius.
Tatum scored an All-Star Game-record 55 points, and Team Giannis defeated Team LeBron 184-176 on Sunday night to end LeBron James’ reign as All-Star captain supremacy.
Tatum scored 27 points in the third quarter, a record for any period in the All-Star Game. He was the first player selected by Giannis Antetokounmpo in the starters phase of the All-Star draft, and ultimately, that selection was the correct one.
It was James’s first loss as captain after six victories. Antetokounmpo improved his All-Star captaincy record to 2-1.
Donovan Mitchell contributed 40 points to Team Giannis, which also received 26 points from Damian Lillard, including the game-winning basket that pushed Team Giannis over the target score.
Team LeBron’s Jaylen Brown scored 35 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Kyrie Irving scored 32 points and dished out 15 assists, and Joel Embiid finished with 32 points.
The champion of the 3-point competition on All-Star Saturday Night, Lillard made eight 3-pointers, including a halfcourt pullup in the third quarter.
The league held a ceremony prior to the second half to honor the three leading scorers in NBA history: No. 3 Karl Malone, No. 2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James, who recently passed Abdul-Jabbar to become the game’s all-time scoring leader.
Malone and Abdul-Jabbar were taken to the stage, and then Dwyane Wade, James’ former teammate in Miami and current co-owner of the Jazz, introduced James and escorted him to the platform.
“We’ve all been witnesses,” Wade added. “No matter the difficulty or the din, he was unrelenting.”
With the number 38,388 displayed behind him, James thanked the crowd for their applause before embracing Abdul-Jabbar and Malone. He did not return to the game after suffering a right hand injury, which ended his night.
He ended the game with 13 points and claimed that a chasedown block in the first half caused his finger to become entangled in the rim.
“Precautionary measures,” stated James.
James participated in a half. The other captain in the game did not play a single minute.
Antetokoumpo picked his squad before to the game, went through (minimal) warmups, and started the game as scheduled.
But, his right wrist was bound, which was an unsettling omen. The injury prevented him from participating in the All-Star Saturday skills competition and limited him to 20 seconds in this event. He opened the game with an uncontested slam before committing a foul and heading to the bench.
Antetokounmpo stated, “I’m going to give everything I have.” “It is my identity. This will not ever alter.”
As in previous years, the teams played for charity, with Team LeBron raising funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah and Team Giannis raising funds for Raise the Future, an organization that connects youngsters in foster care with stable adults. Each team began with $150,000, the first three quarters were each worth $100,000, and the All-Star Game winner received an additional $150,000.
The teams finished the first quarter deadlocked at 46-46, while Team Giannis won the second quarter 53-46. Team Giannis also won the third quarter 59-49, and the cumulative total to that point, 158-141, meaning that the goal score for the fourth quarter, which was untimed and had a target-score finish, was 182.
Team Giannis won $700,000 for its charitable organization, while Team LeBron won $200,000.
»Team Giannis wins with Jayson Tatum’s NBA All-Star Game record 55 points«