Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant led with 31 points and seven rebounds in Team LeBron’s 178-164 victory against Team Giannis in the NBA All-Star Game held Feb. 17 in Charlotte, N.C.
The 68th edition of the NBA All-Star Game was played at the Spectrum Center with 19,000 spectators. I mean, who was going to miss Dwyane Wade’s last All-Star game?
Durant ended with 10 of 15 shots to the basket, including six of nine triples and five of five free-throws, leading a list of 10 players, together with the five starters, who made double-digit points.
Durant’s teammate, guard Klay Thompson heated up in the second half and was the second-highest scorer with 20 points and six rebounds on Team LeBron, which has won two editions that have been played under the new selection format made by two captains.
Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James finished the game with 19 points, as did Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard.
Meanwhile, the Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo led his team with a double-double of 38 points and 11 rebounds as he ran down the floor and threw down dunks as if there were no tomorrow. Team Giannis led the first half with a lead of 53-37 over Team LeBron. Team Giannis finished the first half with a gap of 13 points, ending with a score of 95-82.
Team Giannis went on to extend the lead to 15 points with six minutes left in the third quarter. Then, all at once, everything began to fall apart as Team LeBron caught fire from the 3-point line. Everyone was hitting and with three minutes left in the quarter, it became Dame Time. Damian Lillard hit not one, but two back-to-back triples from the logo to tie the game. Team LeBron just pulled a comeback.
KD then put Team LeBron ahead at 132-131 and wound up finishing as the scoring leader for Team LeBron. Soon after KD put them ahead, Team LeBron extended its lead, making a Team Giannis comeback improbable.
The NBA All-Star Game turned into a 3-point contest as both teams combined to establish a new record of triples.
