Tatum scores an All-Star record 55 points as Team Giannis defeats Team LeBron

Jayson Tatum put on a record-breaking show and made Giannis Antetokounmpo look like a genius.

Tatum scored an All-Star Game record 55 points on his way to winning the MVP honor, and Team Giannis ended LeBron James’ reign as All-Star Captain by beating Team LeBron with 184 on Sunday night’s NBA annual show -175 defeated.

Tatum had 27 points in the third quarter, another All-Star Game record for any period. He was Antetokounmpo’s first pick in the All-Star Draft, and in the end, that choice proved to be the right one.

And the MVP award Tatum received is named after Kobe Bryant, one of his heroes.

“It means the world,” Tatum said. “You think of all the legends and great players who played this game and quite honestly, records are made to be broken. I’ll keep it as long as I can, but I’m sure someone will come along for a few years and try to break it.”

Tatum broke Anthony Davis’ all-star record with 52 points. He was 22nd of 31 from the floor and had 10 rebounds and six assists.

It was James’ first defeat in six times as captain. Antetokounmpo improved to 1-2 in his All-Star captaincy positions and became the first captain to hoist a new trophy presented to All-Star Game winners.

“Winner, winner, chicken dinner,” said Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo later said in a more serious tone that he had a reason to choose Tatum.

“I knew he would take it seriously. It was a piece of cake,” he said.

Donovan Mitchell added 40 for Team Giannis, who received 26 points from Damian Lillard – including the game winner to push his team past the target score.

Jaylen Brown scored 35 points and had 14 rebounds for Team LeBron while Kyrie Irving had 32 points and 15 assists and Joel Embiid finished with 32 points.

Brown and Tatum – teammates from Boston – reveled in a back-and-forth duel in the second half.

“It was a normal day for us,” Tatum said. “Only millions of people are watching.”

Lillard, the winner of Saturday night’s three-point contest, made eight three-pointers – including a half-court pull-up in the third quarter.

“That was the worst basketball game I’ve ever seen,” said Team LeBron coach Michael Malone, apparently poking fun at the defensive optional event.

Team Giannis’ winning coach Joe Mazzulla said he had a very simple strategy.

“Stay out of the way, enjoy it, have fun, just let the boys be themselves,” Mazzulla said. “I think it’s important, especially in this league, that the boys can just be themselves.”

The league had a ceremony before the second half to pay tribute to the top three scorers in NBA history: No. 3 Karl Malone, No. 2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James, now the game’s career leader after previously beating Abdul- Jabbar had passed month.

Malone and Abdul-Jabbar were brought on stage, and then Dwyane Wade – James’ former teammate in Miami and now a partner in Jazz – introduced James to bring him on stage.

“We were all witnesses,” Wade said. “No matter the challenge, no matter the noise, he was relentless.”

With the number 38,388 behind him, James then raised his hand to thank the fans for their ovation and hugged Abdul-Jabbar and Malone. He did not return to the game, his night ending with a right hand bruise.

He finished the race with 13 points and said a chasedown block in the first half caused him to pinch a finger in the rim.

“Caution,” James said.

James played one half. The other captain of the game didn’t play half a minute.

Antetokoumpo drafted his team before the game, did warm-ups (as they were) and started the game as planned.

But his right wrist was wrapped, and that was an ominous sign. The injury kept him out of Saturday’s All-Star Skills event, limiting him to 20 seconds there. He got an undisputed dunk to open the game, then took a foul and went to the bench.

“Whatever I have, I will give,” said Antetokounmpo. “I am. That will never change.”

As in years past, the teams played for charity, with Team LeBron raising money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah and Team Giannis for Raise the Future, which connects teens waiting in foster care with stable adults. Each team started with $150,000, with the first three quarters being worth an additional $100,000 a piece and the All-Star Game winner receiving an additional $150,000.

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The teams tied 46-46 in the first quarter, and Team Giannis won the second quarter 53-46. Team Giannis also won the third quarter, 59-49, and the cumulative score to that point – 158-141, Team Giannis – meant that 182 would be the score to be achieved in the untimed fourth quarter with a target result.

Team Giannis won $550,000 for his charity and Team LeBron won $200,000. And Tatum, just as he vowed at his first All-Star game in 2020 — when the award was named after Bryant — won the trophy he’s wanted for a while.

“Icing on the cake,” Tatum said.

Indianapolis will host the next NBA All-Star Weekend scheduled for February 16-18, 2024. The city was supposed to have the 2021 game but was moved to Atlanta and downsized significantly because of the pandemic.

Source: www.cbc.ca