Team Giannis vs. Team LeBron 184-175, Tatum MVP Scores 55 Points

Team Giannis won the All-Star Game against Team LeBron, 184-175. In another high-scoring and defenseless matchup, Giannis’ crew was better than LeBron’s solely due to Jayson Tatum’s fantastic performance. The Boston Celtics’ forward scored 55 points, breaking the record for the highest-scoring performance and winning MVP honors.

Both captains didn’t play too much. Giannis scored on the opening possession, and those were his only points, after which he went out to the bench, resting due to his sprained wrist. The two-time NBA MVP will have to undergo a medical evaluation to determine the degree of his injury.

On the other side, LeBron spent 14 minutes to score 13 points, and he also didn’t play for too long because of his minor injuries. After the contest, LBJ stated that the upcoming period would be one of the most significant in his career, as he wants to secure the playoffs for the Lakers and try to beat the odds and win another NBA title.

“I want to make a push to make the playoffs,” James said. “I don’t want to see myself not being part of the postseason for two years straight. It’s just not part of my DNA.”

Regarding the game, it was close until halftime, but after that, Team Giannis took over the wheel and began poinding from all sorts of weapons, primarily Tatum, who shot 22-for-31, 10-for-18 from three-point territory. He broke Anthony Davis’ record from the 2017 ASG, which stood at 52 buckets.

“I found out midway through the fourth [about the record],” Tatum said. “I think I had like 49 and Dame was like, ‘Yo, the record’s 52.’ He was like, ‘Go get it.'”

Donovan Mitchell scored 40 buckets, 15-for-25, and eight threes hit, but he also assisted 10 times. After winning the Three-Point contest, Damian Lillard got off the bench to net 26 points one night.

Team LeBron had three players with 30 or more points. Another Celtic player had a team-high, with Jaylen Brown pouring 35 buckets off the bench, grabbing 14 boards, and making only three of his 12 downtown hits.

Joel Embiid had 32 points, the same as Kyrie Irving, who had 32 and 15 assists. Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic didn’t care too much about playing, having four points each.

JAYSON. TATUM.

MOST POINTS IN AN ALL-STAR GAME EVER ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/buR5sPXIks

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 20, 2023

What we need to say is that three-point shooting decided this game in the end. Team LeBron had 17 threes in 60 tries, while Team Giannis scored 29 hits behind the arc in 66 attempts.

Overall, the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City fulfilled its expectations, delivering one solid weekend of NBA fun. Though, there are plenty of voices that seek some changes and new stuff. For example, many would love to see one-on-one basketball instead of certain features.

The fans are also displeased with how the All-Star Game has been played, stating that there should be some reward for the winners to make the contest more competitive.

Next year’s NBA All-Star Game takes place at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the home of the Indiana Pacers, on February 18th. As for this NBA season, the real deal is about to start. There are slightly more than a month of games before the playoffs start, and the upcoming contests are about to be much more competitive than before.

The pause is until Thursday once we have nine games scheduled. Two prime-time clashes are in Philly, where the 76ers host the Memphis Grizzlies, and in Los Angeles, where LeBron and the Lakers meet the Golden State Warriors.