The 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend was one for the record books!
Photos by: Micah Lloyd @crisp_finishimage
Indianapolis held it down as the All-Star game returned to its original East vs. West format. Before Sunday’s showdown, however, All-Star Saturday had many of us tuned in as well. Recapping All-Star Saturday, a few events highlighted the evening including the dunk and 3-point contests, the NBA HBCU Classic, and the much-anticipated 3-point showdown between Sabrina Ionescu and Stephen Curry.
First things first, the All-Stars lit it up from behind the arc in the 3-point contest. Milwaukee Bucks guard, Damian Lillard, would eventually face off against Trae Young and Karl-Anthony Towns in the final round. Looking to defend his title, Dame started hot but it wasn’t until the final rack that Dame Time was fully activated. Having missed four straight shots, the final money ball HAD to go in, for him to reclaim the title.
Following Dame’s stellar display of his long-range game, Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu went head-to-head in the first-ever WNBA vs. NBA 3-point contest. Both Curry and Ionesco earned their reputation for being elite shooters and did not disappoint in the highly-anticipated duel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gUdUJ96rY8
Closing out Saturday night’s festivities, the Dunk Contest ended with mixed reviews. While defending champion, Mac McClung, continued to pull out new tricks out of the bag, Boston Celtics All-Star forward, Jaylen Brown, made his way into the final round, ultimately falling to McClung who earned the ONLY perfect score with his high-flying acrobats over Shaquille O’Neal.
Culminating on Sunday, the NBA All-Star Game showdown took on its original form – as the best of the Eastern Conference took on the best of the Western Conference. Both teams were STACKED and it truly could have gone either way. However, putting on an iconic performance, the East became the first team to ever hit the 200-point mark in the All-Star Game! The previous record, of 196, was last set by the West in 2016.
Representing the hometown, Indiana Pacers’ own, Tyrese Haliburton, would get the hot hand early on, connecting on five 3-pointers and hitting the record-breaking 3-pointer in the game’s closing minutes. Karl-Anthony Towns also put on a jaw-dropping, 50-point performance while Damian Lillard notched a 39-point game that earned him the MVP trophy. And despite a rocky start during Saturday’s dunk contest, Jaylen Brown also finished with 36 points.
Overall, the Eastern Conference never took their foot off the gas and cruised to a 25-point win in an all-out shootout by the best of the best in the League.
Final Score: East, 211 – West, 186
Check out our recap below.
Photo & Video by: Micah Lloyd, @crisp_finishimage
Recap edit by: Maria Myraine
