LeBron James suffered his first loss as captain at the NBA All-Star Game, as Team Giannis, led by Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, won 184-175 in Salt Lake City.
Antetokounmpo didn’t contribute much, but that was expected as he took the first hoop tip for the game’s first field goal and then checked. He suffers from a wrist injury.
But James was also unavailable for much of that game as he suffered a hand injury. James went for a block on Toronto Raptors big man Pascal Siakam and got his hand on the rim.
With those two, someone had to step in and be the star of the night, and the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum was that man.
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Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics reacts during the third quarter of the 2023 NBA All Star Game between Team Giannis and Team LeBron at Vivint Arena on February 19, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Tatum won the All-Star Game MVP Award after dropping 55 points to help Team Giannis claim victory.
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Tatum’s 55, coming on 22 of 31 from the field, including 10 of 18 from three, broke the All-Star Game record for runs scored. Anthony Davis set the record with 52 in 2017 while playing for the New Orleans Pelicans.
And here’s another fun stat: Tatum is the first player in NBA history to score 50+ points in a regular season game, a playoff game, and the NBA All-Star Game.
LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the first quarter of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game between Team Giannis and Team LeBron at Vivint Arena on February 19, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell was also a key member of Team Giannis, totaling 40 points on 15 of 25 from the field, along with 10 assists and four rebounds. Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers also knocked down eight threes in the game, including the final basket to give Team Giannis the win. He finished with 26 points.
For Team LeBron, James had 13 points before not playing the entire second half. His group’s top scorer was a reserve, as Tatum’s Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown was down 35 of 16 of 27 from the field.
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Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid and Dallas Mavericks Kyrie Irving both finished with 32 points.
Indiana Pacers goaltender Tyrese Haliburton, playing his first All-Star Game, went 4 of 6 from three to finish with 18 points on the night.
Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum #0 shoots during the third quarter of the 2023 NBA All Star Game between Team Giannis and Team LeBron at Vivint Arena on February 19, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
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A surprise was Mavericks star Luka Doncic, the current NBA leading scorer at 33.3 points per game, finishing with just four points for Team LeBron.
The regular season will begin its second half Thursday night.
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